


After the Dawn

by csgt



Series: Waters of March [3]
Category: Ben 10 Series
Genre: Cousin Incest, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-15
Updated: 2019-02-14
Packaged: 2019-03-31 13:45:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 31,371
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13976373
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/csgt/pseuds/csgt
Summary: Gwen's friend's last request is for Gwen to take care of her baby daughter, who has powerful latent magical abilities. Her parents and Kevin are against this idea, but Ben offers support. Can the two 18-year-old cousins raise - and protect - a little girl by themselves? And will this bring them closer to what is socially acceptable for cousins? BWEN





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * Continuity: This story follows the events of the Original Series, and some - but not all - parts of Alien Force, Ultimate Alien and Omniverse.
> 
> * The picture is a fan-art made by the amazingly talented ZilpaEden. She's awesome.

 

"Hello, my name is Gwen." Gwen stretched her hand to the young woman who seemed to be at most three or four years older than she was. The young lady was dressed in goth-style clothes, and had pale skin and dark brown hair.

"H-Hi, I-I am M-Margie," she replied, looking nervous and tense.

"Don't worry. You're safe now. We're at the Plumbers base. No one is going to hurt you here," Gwen put her hand on the girl's shoulder, "Just take a deep breath. I'll need you to tell me everything that happened from the beginning so I can help you and your baby. "

The two sat down, and after a few moments Margie began to speak again, more calm now, "I always had an attraction to men with a dark style, so when I met this guy... Older, rich, charming, mysterious and he knew all these fantastic legends. I ended up getting close to him, against the will of my family. They knew he was trouble."

"This man, he is Hex, right?" Gwen asked. She knew this information because her cousin Ben had already briefed her about Margie before.

"Yes, I didn't know that at the time, of course. He introduced himself as Henry, and he was using some sort of spell to disguise those skull tattoos on his face," Margie said, "I don't know why he took an interest in me."

Gwen knew. From the moment she approached Margie, she felt her magic being enhanced, "Honey, you are an Amplifier, that is a very rare gift. When people with magical powers approach you, you increase their powers."

"That makes sense..." Margie whispered, "That's why he wanted me."

"Go on, please," Gwen requested while she held the girl's hand to keep her calm.

"At first I was only crushing on Hex, but I'm sure that at some point he put me under a spell. I wouldn't have left my home and my family for him willingly like I did. The way I acted... For two years, I didn't even give a call to my family or friends to let them know that I was alive... I wasn't myself. That's why when he told me he was Hex, I didn't even react."

Gwen felt a huge rage boiling inside of her. Hex had abused that poor girl. "That bastard will pay for what he did to you."

"During that time I got pregnant with Dawn," Margie said, "I'm sure she was the one who saved me."

"How old is she?" Gwen raised her eyebrows.

"She's one years old," Margie said with a smile, "It may sound odd, but I was taking care of her, and in a moment she glowed in a very intense purple light, and I was myself again. The spell Hex had put on me ended. He wasn't home at the time. He was doing whatever he does, usually looking for more magical gadgets. I ran away with Dawn and called the Plumbers, and I'm here now. "

"Can I see Dawn?" Gwen asked.

Margie and Gwen went to see the baby. Just as she approached Dawn, Gwen felt a magic aura stronger than any she'd ever felt before. It was quite obvious why: Margie was an Amplifier and Hex was a powerful sorcerer, Dawn had naturally been born with very strong magical powers. Gwen knew that Dawn could become one of the most powerful witches in the world if she trained properly.

The baby was crying in the doctors' hands, but she accepted Gwen much more easily, "Gugu gaga," Dawn seemed happy in Gwen's arms.

"Hey, cutie." Gwen kissed the baby's forehead.

"She has a weird tattoo on her thigh," Margie said, a little worried, "Hex made it. I think it's magic."

"This is bad. You and Dawn can't leave the Plumbers base until we find out exactly what it is."

Gwen spent days studying the symbol and nature of the tattoo in her magic books. She met Margie again at the Plumbers' base later.

"Margie, I have good news and bad news. The tattoo is a marker, something that allows Hex to find Dawn anywhere. He probably already knows you're here, but he wouldn't dare to attack the Plumbers base. I think he's just waiting for you to leave here so he can kidnap you two again. There is a potion that can permanently remove the tattoo, but the ingredients for it are rare and most do not even exist on Earth."

"Oh, no ..." Margie was horrified, "Does that mean we're going to have to stay here for the rest of our lives?"

"No. There is a less complex spell that is a temporary solution. It will leave Dawn undetectable for a few months. Like a medicine she will have to take regularly."

"Do you know how to do this spell?" Margie asked with anxiety in her voice.

"Yes, I can do it. And we can meet every month, so I can cast the spell again," Gwen said.

"Thank you so much," Margie hugged her.

* * *

**1 year later.**

Margie had entered the Plumbers' "witness protection" service, and Gwen became good friends with her because of the monthly meeting. Gwen had also become very attached to Dawn.

So Gwen was completely shocked when she heard that Margie had died in a terrible car accident, victim of an irresponsible truck driver who was texting on his cell phone while driving. Gwen cried almost all night.

After the funeral, Margie's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Rocco, asked Gwen to see them at their house.

"I'm sorry for your loss." Gwen greeted the couple.

"Thank you, Gwendolyn," Mrs. Rocco replied with a sad smile, "Margie told us a lot about you. You were her best friend. "

Gwen was surprised. She certainly considered Margie a friend, but Margie considered her not just a friend, but her best friend.

"We have something very serious to discuss with you," Mr. Rocco said hesitantly, "I would not dare ask what I'm going to ask of you, but Margie has explicitly told us to do this, and we will honor her will."

"What is it?" Gwen was curious and a little worried.

"Our wish was for our daughter to put Dawn up for adoption," Mrs. Rocco said, with a tired expression on her face, "We tried to argue with Margie that Dawn was the result of coercion, not love, but Margie loved Dawn very much no matter what. We also argued that Dawn's father is a very dangerous person and staying with her was a risk, but Margie was very determined to raise her daughter. She always said that Dawn was the one who saved her life from Hex."

"But Margie knew that if anything were to happen to her, we would put Dawn up for adoption. And she told us to ask you to raise Dawn as the first option," Mr. Rocco said in a whisper, "We can help you with enough money for kindergarten, food and clothes, but unfortunately, we can't do more than that."

Gwen was shocked, "I ... I don't know what to say."

"Of course, my dear, we weren't expecting you to accept it. You are young, and raising the daughter of a criminal is a burden you don't want either. We understand it perfectly," Mrs. Rocco said with a friendly smile, "We will send Dawn to an orphanage, and you will be informed of everything so you can continue to do the spell thing that you do every month to protect her."

Gwen wondered what possibility Dawn would have to be adopted, especially considering that any potential adoptive parents would have to be informed about her great latent magical powers, as well as who her father was, and the need for the protective spell Gwen had to do regularly. No one would want this 'burden' on their hands.

But Gwen was only 18 years old. She was attending college, and although Mr. and Mrs. Rocco could help with money for food, daycare and clothing, Gwen had nowhere to live with a baby. She was living in the campus' dormitory, a place completely unfit to raise a two year old girl.

"Please, Mr. and Mrs. Rocco, you have to reconsider. Dawn is all you have left of your daughter. Please, you two have to raise her," Gwen requested in a sad tone.

Mr. Rocco lowered his head, "We've already thought about this a lot, and this is our final decision. I'm sorry. Dawn will be sent to an orphanage."

"No!" Gwen shouted, surprised at herself. "I'll raise her."

Mr. and Mrs. Rocco were also very surprised by her words.

"Are you sure, my dear?" Mrs. Rocco asked.

"Yes. Just give me a week to sort things out, and I'll come back to pick her up," Gwen said very determined.

* * *

Gwen thought of asking Grandpa Max for help. He would probably be willing to help her take care of Dawn, but Grandpa was not on Earth at the moment. He and Xylene, a lizard-like alien woman, had rekindled their past relationship, and they were traveling together through space. They usually spent a few months on Earth and a few months in space. Gwen had a communicator to talk to Grandpa if she wanted to, but she did not want him to change his plans because of her - Grandpa more than deserved to live his own life - so she decided not to talk to him.

Gwen knew she was going to have to talk to her parents Frank and Natalie, and she figured they would react badly to that idea, but deep down she was hoping to have enough of Lucky Girl's luck left to be able to convince them.

On the weekend, she went to her house in Bellwood, and told her parents the whole story. Gwen asked for them to slightly increase the amount of money they sent her so she could leave the campus and rent an apartment near the university where she could take better care of Dawn, without needing to get a job - because it would be impossible to work, study and take care of a two-year-old baby alone.

Her parents not only refused, but also threatened to stop sending money to her altogether if she went ahead with the idea of adopting Dawn. Her mother - in an extremely angry tone - spoke for what seemed like hours about how irresponsible and inconsequential Gwen was to even consider raising a child at that age and under those circumstances. Her father only confirmed his wife's words.

That wasn't Gwen's lucky day.

* * *

A few months ago Gwen had started dating Kevin Levin. Yes, the same Kevin Levin who had tried to kill her and her cousin (and many other innocent people) out of sheer sadism when she and Ben were ten during that summer trip that completely changed their lives.

When Gwen and Ben were fifteen, their paths intersected with Kevin's again. Kevin was now working with the Plumbers under supervision to redeem himself for his past crimes. He explained that he had a serious condition of split personality - and the Kevin that Ben and Gwen knew before was the bad Kevin.

Kevin helped Ben and Gwen with alien problems regularly and befriended them, showing an obvious crush on Gwen. Kevin asked her out many times, but Gwen was not shallow nor foolish enough to suddenly throw herself into the arms of a person who had tried to kill her before just because he was tall, strong, handsome and charming. Only after years - time for her to actually see that Kevin's change of heart was genuine – that she finally decided to give him a chance.

Gwen's parents did not like Kevin much, but only because they thought Gwen could do better. Kevin had dropped out of school, and earned his living from a small car repair shop. They did not know that Kevin had been a criminal, that he had a split personality or that he had tried to kill Gwen in the past. Surely if they knew that, they wouldn't accept the relationship at all.

Despite Gwen's own initial reservations, so far their relationship was going well. Kevin was really keen to show that he was a completely changed person, and he seemed deeply in love with Gwen. He had been indeed a very good boyfriend, lovely and sweet, the perfect 'bad boy with a good heart' from teenage romance movies.

And now Gwen would need him more than ever.

Gwen went to Kevin's garage - the place where he had built his car repair shop - close to her university.

"Hi, Kevin," Gwen said, announcing her presence.

"Hi, babe," Kevin stepped out from under a car and started looking at her with dreamy eyes. She had her long red hair loose and was wearing a black skirt and a red blouse, "You look amazing!"

"Thank you," Gwen blushed. She was silent for a few seconds, gathering courage to speak, "Kevin, I have a very crazy thing to ask of you."

"I'd do anything crazy for you," Kevin said, with a mischievous grin, "Actually, I've been wanting to do some crazy things with you for years..."

"I want to move into your apartment-" Gwen started to speak.

"YES!" Kevin shouted, interrupting Gwen's request. He made a fist bump, very excited, "It will be a pleasure to have you living with me, babe. I'd hug and kiss you right now, but I don't want you to get grease all over your clothes. Today, after I finish my work, we're going out to celebrate for sure," he said, grinning like a fool.

"Kevin," Gwen said in a worried tone, "It's not quite what you think... I'm really going to need your help a lot."

"What happened, babe?" Kevin asked, now also starting to worry.

Gwen explained the whole story to him. Kevin already knew about Margie and Dawn, including how Dawn was a baby with great magical powers, unlike other children, so Gwen hoped he would understand why she was the better person to take care of Dawn in that situation.

"So, Kevin," Gwen concluded, "I need a place to live... with the baby."

Gwen took a deep breath, waiting for Kevin's response. Kevin was speechless. After almost a minute of silence, he whispered, "Gwen, I can't. If you were to adopt that child, I'd have to be the father figure, and believe me, this would be a very bad idea."

"Why?" Gwen asked.

"Gwen, you know me, the terrible childhood I had, all the mental problems I have to deal with," Kevin said in an apologetic tone, "I'd be a terrible father. I don't want kids."

"You don't want kids?" Gwen had never stopped to discuss this with Kevin. She certainly wanted her own children someday, but he clearly had different plans for the future of their relationship.

"It would be better not to," Kevin said, "If you can't convince Dawn's grandparents to keep her, it would be best to let her go to the orphanage and you can still visit her often, maybe every weekend," Kevin suggested, "It's better for you too, so you can focus on your studies."

"I... understand," Gwen shed a tear from her eyes and left in a hurry. She really thought Kevin would side with her on this, but she was wrong.

* * *

That afternoon, Gwen called her cousin Ben to meet her in a cafe near the college campus. She needed to talk to someone.

"I'm sorry for asking you to meet me like this all of a sudden, Ben," Gwen said, wiping a tear from her cheek, trying her best not to show that she had cried before, "I hope you weren't busy today.

"Don't worry," Ben said, "I had a date with Julie, but I explained to her that you sounded very desperate on the phone and she understood. We will reschedule it."

Gwen sighed, "I can't believe I made you miss a date. I'm really sorry, Ben. Crap."

"Do you want to apologize? Pay the bill, cuz," Ben said with a grin and called the waiter.

While they were eating, Gwen explained everything to Ben.

"My parents won't help me, Kevin won't help me ... I wish I could do this, but I feel there's no way," Gwen said in a sad tone, "It'll break my heart, but I'll have to talk with Margie's parents to send Dawn to the orphanage."

"Look, Gwen," Ben said thoughtfully, "You are 18. You're going to college. Raising a baby is a pretty crazy idea, I have to admit. But you help me fight criminals on and off ever since you were ten, and you're dating Kevin, so crazy ideas are kind of your specialty, right?" Ben chuckled, and Gwen rolled her eyes, "I'm kidding. I really think it's best for you to let it go, but I don't think you should give up just because you don't have money or a place to live or because your boyfriend, or your parents, or me, are telling you to give up. Think for yourself! Are you absolutely sure you want to raise Dawn?"

"Yes," Gwen said with conviction, "I'm sure I could find a way to balance college and taking care of her if I had the money. And if Kevin doesn't want to help me, fine. But he would have to at least accept that I'm going to raise this girl, or things between us would be over. And my parents would also have to accept it, whether they like it or not, I'm an adult and they can't tell me what to do. I just can't have Dawn living with me on the university campus, because that way the orphanage is really a better option. My biggest problem is money. "

"Don't worry about that. I can rent an apartment for you. I'm officially a Plumber now," Ben smiled proudly, "I'm getting a paycheck. I told you that being a superhero was much better than college, Dweeb!"

"Congratulations, Doofus!" Gwen said, gently rubbing Ben's arm in a gesture of affection, "But it wouldn't be fair to ask you to support me with your salary, Ben. You and Julie have your own plans for the future, and I would be exploiting your goodwill."

"Hey, I'm only 18, I'm not in a hurry to take a big step with Julie just yet," Ben folded his arms behind his head in a relaxed position, "And as for exploiting my goodwill, do you remember that time in Xenon, when you jumped in front of me before those bloodlust wildvines attacked and almost got yourself killed?"

"I remember," she said, recalling the memories - some good and some not so good - of when they were ten.

"You were willing to die for me, Gwen. That's how far goodwill goes between you and me. This apartment thing is nothing, really," Ben whispered in a serious tone, holding her hand.

She and Ben were really close, and would sacrifice their lives for each other without hesitation. She blamed herself for not being so close to Ben anymore, because of college and her new relationship with Kevin.

"I want to help you with the baby too. Dawn would be buried in dweebness under your care! She needs to have a fantastic Uncle Ben like me so she can learn to have some fun too," Ben said with two thumbs up.

"Do you want to live with us?" Gwen asked in surprise.

"Actually, I was already thinking about renting an apartment for myself before I talked to you," Ben said, and then hesitantly asked, "Do you think it would be... weird... if we live together for a while?"

"No, not at all, Ben. I loved your idea," Gwen shed a tear from her eyes again, but this time of joy, "Thank you so much, cuz." She stood up from her seat and gave him a long hug.

One of the customers - an old lady who obviously didn't know that Gwen and Ben were cousins - said, "Aww, young love!"

Ben and Gwen immediately blushed in embarrassment, and Gwen pulled away from the hug.

**TO BE CONTINUED**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * It was probably not the best idea to start another multi-chapter fic while I already have one ongoing AND my university classes to worry, but I couldn't stop myself from writing this. You know how geniuses work with sudden outbursts of geniality? Well, I'm definitely not a genius, but I am kind of crazy, and we - crazy people - work in a similar way, with sudden outbursts of crazy ideas, so that's what happened to me XD Please, leave a comment if you think I should continue with this.


	2. Chapter 2

When Ben and Gwen went to talk to the owner of the apartment they wanted to rent - an old lady named Agnes - things ended up a bit awkward.

"I know you two from somewhere, don't I?" Agnes asked, scratching her chin, "Oh, I remember now, you are the cute couple I saw at the cafe yesterday! What a nice coincidence! I didn't know you had a daughter," Agnes said, looking at the two-year-old baby in Ben's arms. Coincidentally, Dawn had brown hair like Ben, so they actually looked like father and daughter.

"No, no, we're not a couple," the two quickly denied it.

"The baby is kind of my adopted daughter, and Ben is my cousin. He's going to help me take care of her." Gwen tried to explain the situation.

The old lady rolled her eyes, clearly not believing them. "You two are very young, and I don't see any rings on your fingers. I understand that you are ashamed to admit that you had a baby before the right time, probably a party night full of booze, but I actually think it's admirable that you two have decided to keep the baby instead of ... you know."

"Really, that's not it." Gwen blushed a deep red. But Agnes was stubborn, Gwen realized that it would be a waste of time to argue with her, "We're just looking for a three-bedroom apartment, please."

"Three bedrooms? Are you thinking of having another baby soon?" The old lady said with a mischievous smirk. "It will be significantly more expensive than a two-bedroom apartment, but it is your money. I won't complain."

When she told them the price, Gwen saw Ben's eyes widen the size of dinner plates. Gwen was already feeling guilty for making Ben spend his money in the first place, and didn't think twice before saying, "We'll stay with a two-bedroom apartment."

* * *

"You and Dawn can have the bedrooms. I'll sleep on the couch," Ben said as they unpacked their things in the new apartment.

"No, I'll sleep on the couch," Gwen protested, "I put you up to this. It's only fair that I get the worst part."

"Who's paying the rent?" Ben asked.

"You," Gwen replied, a little confused. In her mind, that was just another reason for him to keep the bedroom. He was paying, so he deserved the best part.

"Exactly. I'm paying, so I decide where I'm going to sleep. And I decided it's on the couch."

Gwen sighed. Then she smiled and said, "You can be a Doofus sometimes, but a very sweet one. Julie is so lucky to have a boyfriend like you," Gwen couldn't help but to think that she wanted Kevin to be more like Ben. Then she placed a quick peck on her cousin's cheek as a way to say 'thank you'. He made a 'ewwww' face in return and they burst out laughing as if they were ten years old again.

* * *

Gwen knew the first few weeks were going to be especially hard.

Dawn was feeling the absence of her mother and would wake up in the middle of the night crying. To make things worse, that week Gwen would have some difficult college exams and a good night of sleep was essential. But Gwen knew very well what she had signed up for, and she was ready for it.

But when she got to Dawn's bedroom, Ben was already lulling the little girl in his arms and singing a song that she didn't know in a lullaby rhythm, _"And the river bank talks of the waters of March, It's the end of all strain, It's the joy in your heart."_

"Don't worry, Gwen, go back to sleep. I can take care of Dawn," he seemed to be very awake, unlike Gwen, who was almost falling asleep on her feet.

"Thank you so much, Ben. I'll figure out how to make it up to you later"

For a week, that same scene was repeated every night, but after Gwen's exams had passed, she refused to continue to accept Ben's help, "No, Ben, you go back to sleep today. I will take care of Dawn," Gwen let out a yawn as she took Dawn in her arms.

"Come on, Gwen, I can handle this better, look at how awake I am and how sleepy you are," Ben argued.

"It's true..." Gwen's brain started working, "But why aren't you sleepy too? We're in the middle of the night and you're wide awake. There's something wrong with that."

"The Omnitrix helps," Ben shrugged.

"You're having trouble sleeping, aren't you?" Gwen asked as she lulled Dawn, "It's the couch."

Ben sighed, "The couch is not the-" he suddenly paused for a few seconds, and then said, "Yeah, it might be the couch."

The way he said that was odd. Gwen tried to read the expression on Ben's face to find out whether or not he was lying, but her brain was not yet functioning at one hundred percent, "Whatever. You're not sleeping on the couch anymore."

"No. I'm not going to let a girl sleep on the couch while I stay in a comfortable bed," Ben folded his arms, very determined.

Gwen simply went to the couch and laid down on it, "I'm not getting up from here."

Ben grabbed her and lifted her in his arms, "I'll carry you to the bedroom if I have to."

Gwen thought about twisting to force him to release her, but she didn't, because a stupid struggle could wake up Dawn and the neighbors. Of course accepting to be carried bridal style by Ben had nothing to do with the fact that she felt comfortable in his arms. Now 18 years old, in physical terms Ben was already a lot like the future version of him that they had known before, Ben 10,000: tall, very strong, handsome, _manly..._ \- that was her sleepiness talking, definitely.

Ben dropped her on the bed, "Now, stay here."

As soon as he left the bedroom, Gwen got up, picked up something in the drawer, and went back to the living room. Ben was lying on the couch, and Gwen pointed a finger at him, making him levitate.

"What?" Ben asked, confused.

"The Charm of Telekinesis," Gwen said, "I might not be physically strong enough to carry you, but magic solves all problems. Don't protest, or Dawn and the neighbors might wake up."

Simply moving her index finger, Gwen levitated Ben back to the bedroom and laid him on the bed.

"I won't accept this, Dweeb," Ben said.

"This way neither of us will get any sleep tonight, Doofus, which is a lot worse," Gwen sighed.

"Okay, I'll stay here," Ben was visibly upset.

The redhead smiled, "Good night and sweet dreams," she said, using telekinesis to cover Ben with a sheet and placing a pillow under his head.

About half an hour later, Gwen was almost falling asleep when she heard the sound of groans. She jumped up from the couch and ran to Dawn's bedroom. But the baby was sleeping with a peaceful expression on her face, and Gwen realized that the groans came from the other bedroom.

She went there, and saw Ben squirming on the bed. It wasn't the couch that was making Ben have trouble sleeping. He was having nightmares. She would definitely have to talk to him about this later.

Gwen wasn't sure if she should wake him - after all, he needed to sleep - so she tried a more subtle strategy. She sat on the bed and gently began to caress Ben's face, trying to calm him down without waking him up.

"Gwen," the young man mumbled in his sleep. The expression of pain on his face was replaced with a smile.

"I'm here," Gwen whispered, continuing to nurture him. After a few minutes he seemed to be in a peaceful sleep, so Gwen stood up to go back to the couch.

"Please don't leave me, Gwen," Ben mumbled, the pain returning to his face, "Please, please."

Gwen laid on the bed, facing him, and began to caress her cousin's arm, "I'm not leaving."

Ben seemed to calm down again, and, still sleeping, wrapped an arm around Gwen's waist, pulling her closer, and buried his nose in her neck. The redhead felt tickles and something else that she didn't quite know how to describe.

She was relieved that their parents and Kevin and Julie weren't seeing them in that compromising position. Then she mentally berated herself for thinking that. There was no malice or shame in that act, Ben was not even aware of what he was doing, and Gwen was not going to ruin his sleep, not after all he had done for her.

A few minutes later, she too fell asleep, trying not to think about how comfortable she felt with Ben rubbing his nose on her neck.

* * *

The next day, Gwen awoke with a startled scream from Ben, "W-what h-happened?" Ben immediately looked under the sheets and breathed a sigh of relief, "For a moment, I thought that- never mind."

Gwen blushed a deep red, and explained everything to him.

"I'm sorry. Gwen, I'm really sorry," Ben said.

"Hey, you don't have to apologize. You were asleep and nothing happened," Gwen said, "What we really have to do is talk about your nightmares."

"Look at the time, I'm late for work," Ben said, dropping the subject, "Can you dress Dawn up so I can take her to daycare on my way to the Plumbers?"

* * *

When Gwen came back from college and walked in the apartment, she found Ben talking to her mother on the cell phone.

"Aunt Natalie, I agree with you, but I'm just making things easier for Gwen. She would do it one way or the other, and she's the best person to take care of Dawn. One day that girl will develop magic and-" Ben suddenly stopped talking, and Gwen could hear her mother yelling at him.

She took the phone from his hand and said in a very angry tone, "Mother, if you want to talk to someone, talk to me! Ben doesn't deserve to hear your crap!"

Then Gwen hung up the phone on her.

"I understand that she's mad at me, but yelling at you is crossing the line. She doesn't have the right," Gwen said, and then rubbed her fingers on Ben's face, "I'm sorry you have to go through this because of me."

Before Ben could say anything, Gwen's phone rang.

"If it's my mother, she'll hear some more," Gwen said, picking up the phone. But the caller ID showed another name: Kevin.

"Hi, Kevin."

"Hi, babe," Kevin said, "How about we go to the movies this weekend?"

"Oh, I don't think this is a good option now. Can we go to the zoo instead?" Gwen offered.

"Zoo? Why? You already get to see Ben every day now, aren't you tired of looking at an animal?" Kevin laughed.

"This isn't funny, Kevin," Gwen said in a scolding tone, "and the reason is simple. Dawn would probably not stay quiet in a movie theater for two hours. The zoo would be a much better place for us to take her."

"Babe, I actually meant it as a date for the two of us. Why can't you leave the baby with your cousin?"

"Ben has done enough for Dawn and me, I won't ask him for anything else. I understand that you don't want to help me raise Dawn, but if you don't even want to spend an afternoon near her, I don't know what to say," Gwen hung up the phone without giving Kevin a chance to reply.

Then she took a deep breath and sighed, "Kevin called me at a bad time. I just got back tired from college, and then got mad at my mom. I think I was ruder to him than I should have been."

"Nah, Kevin deserves any rude response at any time," Ben chuckled, "So, do you want to take Dawn to the zoo tomorrow? I can go with you."

"Don't you want to spend the day with Julie?" Gwen asked, "I can take Dawn on my own, or maybe Kevin will change his mind."

"Julie and I have a date at night, but before that, I have the entire day off," Ben said, "But if you don't want me to go, no pro-"

"No, no. In that case, we would be happy to have your company." Gwen smiled.

"Does Dawn like animals?" Ben asked.

"Yeah, a lot. Margie told me she'd take her to the zoo every once in a while," Gwen said, fondly remembering her deceased friend.

"Let's see if Dawn will like this," Ben slammed the Omnitrix, and turned into Wildmutt.

He approached Dawn, who laughed, very excited, not frightened at all by the strangeness of that big and orange canine alien, "Cute puppy!" The baby girl ran her fingers through Wildmutt's fur.

Gwen smiled at that scene. Ben would certainly be a wonderful father.

* * *

Kevin didn't like children, and he didn't like how things between him and Gwen changed because of Dawn. But he liked Gwen and definitely didn't want to lose her, so he accepted the idea that he would have to get used to Dawn and decided to stop avoiding the baby. That Saturday, he went to the apartment to visit them, and take Gwen and Dawn to the zoo like she wanted.

When Kevin arrived at the building, he saw the doorman talking to an old lady.

"Hi, I want to visit Gwen Tennyson," Kevin said.

"Oh, she's not here now," The old lady intervened, "She went out with her boyfriend and daughter."

"What?" Kevin frowned, "You mean, Gwen went out with her cousin and the baby she's taking care of?"

The old lady laughed, "She said that to you, too? The lovebirds are ashamed to admit the truth, you know how our society is, very judgmental," Kevin's heart skipped a beat. Was the old lady saying that Ben and Gwen were in an incestuous relationship? Then she proceeded, "They prefer to say that they are cousins and the daughter is not theirs," and Kevin breathed a sigh of relief.

"I know them," Kevin said, "They're cousins, and the daughter is not theirs. It's true. You probably jumped to the wrong conclusions because you saw a guy and a girl with a baby."

The old lady just stared at Kevin for a few moments. Then she widened her eyes and gave him a sympathetic smile, "Poor boy, you like Gwendolyn and love blinded you to the truth. I don't think she noticed that you like her, otherwise she'd probably have told you the truth so you wouldn't hold on to false hopes," The old lady sighed, "I'm 75 years old, I know a couple in love when I see one. Before I even saw the baby, I saw them together at the cafe and they reminded me so much of myself and my husband - God rest his soul - when we were their age-"

"Whatever, bye." Kevin left abruptly, grossed out by the old woman's insistence that there was something going on between Ben and Gwen.

 _"It's not worth it to waste my time talking to this crazy old woman who can't even tell left from right anymore,"_ Kevin thought as he got inside his car. He thought of calling Gwen, but his hand began to shake, _"What if she's not completely senile? What if she really saw something I didn't?"_

Ben's grandfather was in space with a lizard-woman. Traditional relationships were not exactly the norm for the Tennyson family. And Kevin had to admit that he never felt very comfortable with the long hugs shared between Ben and Gwen, and the fact that they were "playing house" with a baby was making him even less comfortable. Sometimes Ben and Gwen seemed _too_ close for cousins.

But Ben already had a girlfriend... who wasn't nearly as beautiful as Gwen, not by a long shot. Kevin couldn't imagine a single reason for Ben to want to stay with Julie if he had the opportunity to choose Gwen, except for the 'cousins' factor.

 _"I have to stop with this paranoia. My girlfriend and her cousin are not incestuous freaks,"_ he started the car and drove, and tried to push these thoughts out of his mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * If you are curious about Ben's nightmares, go read my one-shots, Hurt and How It Ends. I'm officially making this story into a sequel to them.
> 
> * The song Ben sings is called Waters of March (it's the English version of a classic Brazilian song, Águas de Março) you can find it on youtube (both in English and in Portuguese)


	3. Chapter 3

Ben had just came back to the apartment after a successful mission that led to the arrest of several members of the Forever Knights. Gwen received him with a tight hug and a kiss on the cheek, which made Ben burn inside.

He was very aware of how he felt about her. He had known that for years and had long ago gotten over the phase "I can't like my cousin like that." Ben had accepted that he was in love with her, and he knew these feelings would never go away. But he also knew that, although he _could_ do something about it, he _shouldn't_.

"Can you take care of Dawn while I prepare dinner for us, Ben?" she asked with a sweet smile.

"Of course." Ben returned the smile. "I'm just going to take a shower first."

Ben entered the bathroom, but before turning on the shower, he looked at the Omnitrix on his wrist. _"Maybe one more try, maybe today is my lucky day..."_ He picked Eye-Guy and slammed the watch. He focused, and one of the many eyes started itching…

* * *

**A possible future.**

Ben was walking in circles, his head down, his eyes glued to the Omnitrix on his wrist. He knew what he had to do, but he was still hesitant.

Kevin woke up, and realized that he was tied up by special restraints to contain his powers, in a completely deserted place in the middle of nowhere, "Benji, where are we? I thought I was going to wake up at the Plumber's prison in the Null-Void again, but... did you bring me here to kill me?" Kevin asked with a wicked smile.

"You killed too many people, Kevin. If I arrest you, you will escape and will continue to kill, like always." Ben tried to hide his own nervousness behind a cold voice tone, "I tried to help you find your way back. I really tried, but now I just have to permanently stop you from taking more innocent lives."

Kevin laughed, "Okay, Benji. Kill me, but cut the crap. You tried to help me? YOU STOLE GWEN FROM ME!" Kevin yelled, "You had Julie, and you had a few other options too, but the forbidden fruit is always more delicious, right? Your sick disgusting obsession with your cousin turned me into a monster!"

"Don't blame me for your actions, Kevin!" Ben shouted back, "When you were 11, you wanted to blow up a train and kill a bunch of innocents just to get some money! Crap, you did kill innocents just to frame me! You tried to kill Gwen twice and I lost count of how many times you tried to kill me! And you always tried to put the blame on me for your actions, ever since we were kids!"

"Yes, I admit, I was a monster!" Kevin yelled, "But Gwen saved me! And when you took her from me, you kicked me straight back into the hole of insanity that I had come out of! YOU ARE THE VILLAIN HERE, BEN!"

Ben tried to ignore Kevin's words. He activated the Omnitrix and turned into Way Big.

Kevin closed his eyes, "My blood, the blood of the people I killed as a villain, and the blood of the people that I could have saved as a hero, it all will weigh in your consciousness until your last dying breath. As long as you live, you're never going to get rid of me."

Way Big crossed his arms in an X and fired a deadly blast of cosmic energy at Kevin.

* * *

Ben turned back to normal and breathed heavily for a few seconds, still stunned by the vision.

"CRAP!" He punched the wall in frustration, before finally going to take a shower.

* * *

A few minutes later, Ben was watching Dawn.

"Sing!" The toddler waved her little arms.

"I'm going to find a song for you, ok," Ben said.

Dawn was addicted to the Lottie Dottie Chicken songs. Ben played one of the songs on the tablet for the baby girl to watch.

"No! You sing!" she continued to wave her arms.

"But, Dawn, I can't sing," Ben said, "The video is so much better, and-"

"Sing!" she looked at him with puppy dog eyes.

Ben sighed. By now, he already knew by heart almost all the songs from watching them with Dawn. "Ok, ok... _Lottie Dottie is a chicken, Purple Rooster is her guy, Lottie Dottie wears a skirt, Purple Rooster wears a tie,_ "

The toddler burst out laughing. It seemed that she was entertained by how out of tune and awful Ben's voice was.

"Are you laughing at me, you little brat?" Ben asked.

"Dinner's ready," Gwen shouted from the kitchen.

"You're lucky I'm hungry, otherwise you'd be severely punished," Ben said playfully. He picked up Dawn and took her to the kitchen, "Unbelievable, Gwen, this child is already picking up all of your worst traits. It seems like she'll turn into a Dweeb just like you."

Gwen giggled, "Dawn, show Uncle Ben who the greatest Doofus in the world is."

The toddler immediately pointed her finger in Ben's direction.

"Oh, I should've guessed that she had a teacher," Ben said, "Maybe I should punish you, Dweeb." Ben placed Dawn in her seat and walked slowly towards Gwen.

"Dawn is just smart enough to figure things out, cuz. I have nothing to do with this," Gwen said with a silly grin on her face as she took a few steps back.

When Gwen was cornered between Ben and the wall, Ben placed his hands on her exposed belly - the weather was hot, and at the apartment Gwen was usually wearing short shorts and a crop top. It meant that the redhead's sexy legs and belly were always at Ben's line of sight, and even if Gwen hadn't realized it, that was making Ben go crazy.

"Hahahaha," Gwen laughed as Ben tickled her.

"Who is the Doofus now?"

"Haha you are haha," Gwen said in laughter, refusing to surrender, "And you don't even know how to tickle right!"

Her statement wasn't quite true, but, in fact, Ben was too distracted by letting his hands run freely on Gwen's belly and legs and he wasn't that worried about the actual tickling part. He only saw that it was time to stop when he realized that this was causing a very embarrassing _involuntary reaction_ from him.

Ben stopped and took a seat to hide the 'bulge' that had formed. The boy's face was red, flustered with shame, and he just hoped that Gwen hadn't realized what just happened, "I-I'm hungry, w-we can finish this later."

Luckily, Gwen didn't seem to notice, "I didn't surrender, that means I beat you, Doofus," she said as she served the plates.

* * *

At bedtime, Ben covered Dawn under the sheets and Gwen kissed her goodnight. Then Ben and Gwen turned off the lights and left the toddler's bedroom. Ben was already going to the couch, but Gwen grabbed his arm, and without saying a word, dragged him to the bedroom.

 _Thump._ Ben's heart was pounding.

"You will tell me about your nightmares now." Gwen pushed Ben in the bed and sat next to him.

He thought about making a joke about how he loved when she was all bossy like that, but he stopped himself at the last second.

"I remember ..." Gwen began to say, a little hesitant, "When we were kids, you had nightmares as well. You had turned into Eye-Guy and you had seen visions of the future... You had seen me leaving to go to college, dating Kevin and... Distancing myself from you. That made you start having nightmares back then. At the time, I thought that idea was crazy, but then Kevin really changed for the better, and ... it all happened. "

Ben froze, very nervous with the current course of that conversation.

"But we are close again now. These last few weeks have been wonderful. I'm taking care of a baby, and yes, my life turned upside down, but you're here, and you make it _fun_. I really couldn't do this without you. And I'm sorry that before I couldn't give you the attention you deserve, because I let myself become too busy with college and Kevin. I promise it won't happen again," Gwen said, with guilt in her voice, as she grabbed Ben's hand.

Ben wanted to say that this wasn't her fault. He could have visited her at her college campus many times, but he didn't. He knew that keeping his distance from her was absolutely _necessary_ in order to prevent anything happening between them. He had broken that rule when he offered to let her to come live with him. He told himself that the circumstances led to that and he was just being a good cousin, but he was also feeling guilty, because, deep down, he knew there was a part of him that wanted to use this as an opportunity to win Gwen's heart, not caring about whatever negative consequences it could bring to the future.

"I wasn't even remembering that, to tell you the truth, but this scenario, you having nightmares and not wanting to tell me what's going on, brought back all those memories from 7 years ago." Gwen chuckled. "But let's talk about your recent nightmares."

Ben sighed again. The reasons that were making him have nightmares before were basically the same as now, but he couldn't tell Gwen that.

Ben had used the powers of Eye-Guy again. First he discovered two futures. In one he had his happy ending with Gwen, but Kevin would go back to being a psychopath. In another, Kevin was firm in the path of heroism, married to Gwen, while Ben had to spend the rest of his life unhappy - married to Julie, a very sweet person, but he didn't love her.

Then he continued to use Eye-Guy's powers. Again. And again. And again. He saw _hundreds_ of possible futures, looking for one in which he could have his happy ending with Gwen and still have Kevin on the good guy's side. But there wasn't a single future like that.

Ben had tried to look for a different future for himself to see if there was any way he could forget Gwen. He even saw a future where he kind of had a harem of women, but even that still couldn't fill the void of not having Gwen in his life. He always ended up unhappy when he wasn't with her.

"Ben," Gwen said in a gentle voice, then she placed her hand on his shoulder, "Whatever you're feeling, spit it out. It will be good for you."

"I'm going to miss it," Ben simply said.

"Miss what?" Gwen asked.

"I, you, Dawn, living here... I'm enjoying this role of Uncle Ben," Ben replied.

"I will miss it too. But don't worry, this will last a long time. Probably until you and Julie get married, or until Kevin and I get married - and knowing Kevin like I do, that won't happen anytime soon," she let out a frustrated sigh, "And then Dawn can stay one week at your house and one at my house, like if we were a divorced couple sharing her custody," Gwen giggled. For her, this was just an innocent joke, but for Ben, these were heart-breaking words.

He knew that "playing house" with Gwen would be temporary - it _had_ to be, for the sake of the future - but the truth is that the more time he spent with her, the more painful it would be to let it end. He was dreading the moment when Kevin would finally feel ashamed of himself and would offer Gwen and Dawn to move in with him.

"It's getting late," Gwen yawned, "I hope you're more willing to open up tomorrow," she laid on the bed and cuddled up with Ben, using his chest as a pillow for her head.

 _Thump_. Ben was pretty sure that Gwen would end up hearing his heart pounding like that. He took a deep breath and put his arms around the redhead, not resisting the urge to gentle rub his fingers against her smooth skin.

This was already the second night in a row that they were sleeping together in the same bed.

* * *

Kevin Levin parked his car in front of the yellow house. The address was right. He ran his hand through his hair, sweating in nervousness. In his mind, he saw Ben and Gwen passionately kissing, taking off each other's clothes with urgency, and…

" _You know what you have to do to stop that idiot Ben from stealing our girlfriend. What are you waiting for_?" There was an 11-year-old boy in the passenger seat. He was Kevin himself, the _other_ Kevin, Kevin 11.

"This is wrong," Kevin Levin shook his head, "There has to be another way."

" _Of course there is another way_ ," Kevin 11 shrugged, " _Go to Gwen, and offer to let her and Dawn live with you_."

Kevin Levin let out a grunt, "I can't raise a child. I would be a terrible father."

Kevin 11 laughed, " _Don't lie to yourself. It's not that you can't. You don't want to. You don't want responsibilities. Taking care of a snotnose brat child is tiresome and boring. You want Gwen, but you don't want to build a family with her, not now and not ever._ "

Kevin Levin began to breathe heavily, very nervous, "It's not like that."

" _It's just like that. I know. I am you. And we will get exactly what we want. We will get our Gwen back and things will go back to the way they were before_ ," Kevin 11 put a hand on Kevin Levin's shoulder, " _Come on, I promise we won't kill anyone. We'll just give them a scare. It's not a big deal. Just let me handle it for you, like I always do_."

Kevin Levin let out a long sigh, closed his eyes and whispered, "Do it."

* * *

When Mr. and Mrs. Rocco got home, they found a tall and muscular young man with long black hair sitting on the couch in their living room.

"Hello, my name is Kevin Eleven. It's a pleasure to meet Dawn's grandparents," the young man smiled.

"H-How did you find us?" Mr. Rocco said, very frightened, and his wife was shivering in fear as well, "G-Go away, o-or I'll call the P-Plumbers."

"Don't worry! I just want to talk." Kevin held his hands up, speaking in a friendly voice tone, "I'm Gwen's boyfriend and an ally of the Plumbers. That's why I know about you."

Mr. Rocco wiped away the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief and Mrs. Rocco let out a relieved sigh. They seemed a little bit more relaxed now. Kevin smiled discreetly. That was fun.

"You gave Dawn to Gwen, but this is sort of ruining our relationship because I don't want to raise a child. I need you to take your granddaughter back, please," Kevin said.

"It was Gwen's own decision to accept Dawn," Mr. Rocco said in a firm voice, "We don't want to stay with her because we're afraid. Dawn's father is a very dangerous man, and he's certainly looking for her."

"I know Hex is dangerous. But you shouldn't worry about him." A grin formed on Kevin's face as he looked at the middle-aged couple with deep piercing eyes," You should worry about me. I'm much more dangerous than he is."

The expression of panic from before was suddenly back on Mr. and Mrs. Rocco's faces. That was _really_ fun.

"I know what you're thinking. It's too stupid of me to come here, show my face and threaten you. But it has to be this way to be truly effective. You have to know that I can do anything and get away with it," Kevin was walking in circles around Mr. and Mrs. Rocco, like a shark circling his prey.

Kevin opened and closed his fist, emitting small sparks of electricity - he had absorbed a good amount of energy before going there.

"I have a split personality. There is Good Kevin and there is Bad Kevin. I'm Bad Kevin, obviously, if you haven't figured that out yet," Kevin chuckled "I can kill you here and now, and later Good Kevin will just say that it wasn't his fault, and he'll be forgiven. It might be hard to believe, but it really works! I've killed innocents before. Heck, I've tried to kill Gwen herself and her cousin several times, and now she's dating me! I have a free pass to do whatever I want. That's awesome, right?" Kevin put his hand on Mr. Rocco's shoulder, almost giving him a heart attack.

"Please-please don't hurt us," Mr. Rocco begged.

"I promise I won't. If you promise me that you will call Gwen tomorrow, and ask for your granddaughter back. Do we have a deal?"

"Y-Yes, we'll do w-whatever you want," Mr. Rocco said.

"Wonderful! Have a nice day," Kevin just walked out the door whistling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * Hi, folks! Sorry to make you wait so long for a new chapter, I'm just too busy with college and I didn't have much time to write lately. But fortunately there are other amazing Bwen stories being published around here (and on Fanfiction net), so I'm sure you guys have plenty of fics to read in my absence. My next update will probably be on my other fic, Watch Boy & Witch Girls, since I'm alternating between this one and that one.


	4. Chapter 4

 

 

 

 

 

**8 years ago**

* * *

A ten-year-old Ben Tennyson was clumsily moving around - in a failed attempt to dance - on a dance pad following the melody played by the portable stereo. Gwen entered the Rust Bucket without Ben noticing her presence.

"You look like your underwear is too tight."

Ben was so surprised by Gwen's sudden appearance that he fell flat on his face.

"Ha, very funny," Ben said with irony as he stood up again, "Now, buzz off."

"You trust me to help kick alien butt! Why don't you trust me to teach you how to dance?"

"Because you're probably just going to trick me into looking like some dancing doofus." Ben folded his arms.

"You don't need my help to dance like a doofus. So get over yourself and give me your hands." She held out her hands to him.

Ben was hesitant, but accepted her offer. Clumsily, he put his left hand on Gwen's hip as she put her right hand on his shoulder, and held her left hand with his right hand.

"The most important thing is don't step on her toes," Gwen said.

"This is so gross..." Ben said, ashamed to be dancing so close to his cousin.

"Like I don't know that ..." Gwen replied, "Now, just count. One, two; one, two; forward, back; forward, back."

They were dancing slowly, in rhythm with the music. And it was not long before Ben's embarrassed expression turned into a happy smile.

"Hey ... I'm dancing!" Ben said, delighted. He never imagined that dancing could be so much fun. Dancing even smelled good! Or was that scent Gwen's perfume? It would be best not to think about it, of course.

He positioned himself closer to Gwen and slid in perfect sync with her, completely ignoring any embarrassing thoughts that had previously crossed his mind. The cousins danced together for several minutes.

"Oh that is so sweet!" they heard Grandpa Max's voice, breaking the 'trance' and interrupting their moment.

* * *

**3 years ago**

* * *

**Kevin's garage**

"So, Ben, did I tell you about the dance at my school next week?" Gwen asked in a loud voice. She made certain Kevin would hear her, even under his car.

"Yes," Ben replied with no excitement at all. He hated when Gwen did that, pretended to be interested in talking to him, when actually, she just wanted to pass a message on to Kevin.

"A lot of guys asked me to go, but I'm waiting for someone in particular to do it," Gwen said, again loud enough for Ben to understand that she was just sending a hint to Kevin.

"I don't know how to dance," Kevin replied in an uninterested tone, still under the car.

"Ben didn't know either. I was the one who taught him!" Gwen gave Ben a sincere smile.

Gwen waited a while for an answer, but Kevin's complete lack of reaction made her storm off noticeably annoyed.

"WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU, KEVIN?" Ben yelled a few minutes after Gwen had left. "Do you know how many guys would give anything to have Gwen practically throwing herself at their feet like this? And you just do nothing?" Ben knew he would give anything to be in Kevin's shoes.

"Do you think I'd like to have to wear fancy clothes and dance in the middle of those preppy boys, Tennyson?"

"I guess not, but any other guy would make an effort for Gwen!" Ben said. "I know I would," he thought.

Kevin finally slid from under the car, with a mischievous smirk on his face.

"That's the thing, Tennyson. Just keep this between us, okay? Man talk. I got the hots for your cousin, obviously. But Gwen is used to all the boys throwing themselves at her feet, doing everything she wants. If I show too much interest in her, she'll walk all over me, you know better than anyone that she's very bossy. Do you know how many guys are into Gwen?"

"All of them," Ben replied. Ben couldn't think of any heterosexual male friend of his who hadn't asked him to introduce them to Gwen. It was extremely annoying.

Kevin chuckled, "So, Gwen already has more than enough people telling her how beautiful and special she is. I have to take a different approach. I know she likes me and I'm playing hard to get. And it's working, don't you see?"

Ben couldn't deny that statement. When they were kids, Ben always called Gwen a Dweeb, and in the end, she really was a Dweeb, to throw herself at Kevin like that. It looked like she had forgotten he was Kevin 11, the same guy who'd tried to kill both Tennyson cousins before - Ben had already forgiven that, but it was still Kevin who should be crawling at Gwen's feet, not the other way around.

* * *

**Ben's house.**

Ben took a deep breath in front of the mirror. Ben still remembered that day on his summer vacation, when he had danced with Gwen, one of the best memories of his life. He wanted so much to repeat that moment. He knew the risks of getting too close to Gwen, the future was at stake. Kevin had to stay with Gwen, otherwise... Kevin 11,000, deaths, destruction... But only a dance wouldn't hurt anyone right?

Ben came down the stairs in a hurry, and his father asked, "Where are you going?"

"To Gwen's house."

* * *

**Gwen's house.**

Ben stood for an eternity at the door of Gwen's house, just gathering courage to ring the doorbell until Uncle Frank opened the door.

"Ben, son, is the doorbell broken? I saw you standing here through the window but didn't hear any sound. How long were you here?"

"Oh, no, Uncle Frank." Ben forced a chuckle, "I just got here, I was about to ring the bell."

"You want to talk to Gwen, right?"

"Yep!"

"Go on, she's in her bedroom."

While going up the stairs, Ben could hear the conversation between Uncle Frank and Aunt Natalie. They kept their voices low, but Ben had good hearing.

"Frank, go there and ask them to keep the bedroom door open. The last time, those two stayed for almost an hour inside Gwen's room behind closed doors, that doesn't look good," Aunt Natalie said.

"Nonsense, honey. I will not embarrass the children like that," Uncle Frank replied.

Ben broke out in a cold sweat and tried to just ignore what Aunt Natalie was talking about as he entered Gwen's room and closed the door.

The redhead was, as usual, studying.

"Hey, Ben!" Gwen smiled at him and closed the book.

"Gwen, I ... I ... I want to dance with you."

Gwen was a little surprised with his request.

"Are you going to have a dance at your school too? Do you need me to give you dancing lessons so you can go with Julie?"

"N-No, n-no. I want to take you to your dance. If you accept me, of course," Ben closed his eyes, waiting for Gwen's reaction.

Gwen just stared at him speechless.

"I understand," Ben said, "that wasn't a good idea, just forget that I asked this and-"

"I'd love to go with you, Ben."

Ben's eyes widened, "Really?"

"Of course, you're a better date than any of the boys who asked me, and a better date than that blockhead Kevin too," Gwen rolled her eyes, "I'm just surprised at your request. Why do you want this?"

Ben gulped, and hesitated a little, "The day we danced when we were 10 was one of the happiest memories of my life. I wanted another chance to dance with you," he admitted sheepishly.

"That's so cute, Ben!" Gwen hugged him tight, and then pressed her lips against his cheek for a long time.

Ben's jaw dropped as he touched his wet cheek, not believing what had just happened.

Gwen looked away, blushing a little.

Ben smiled in bittersweetness. Dancing with Gwen would be wonderful, but it was just a dance, nothing more than that, and Ben couldn't dare to forget that. He couldn't ruin the future and let Kevin 11,000 be born because of his love for his cousin.

* * *

**Present day**

* * *

Ben opened his sleepy eyes, awakened by his beautiful cousin shaking him with worry written on her face.

"Ben, where's Dawn? You told me you were going to pick her up at the daycare today!" Gwen said in a distressed tone.

"Lo- Dweeb, of course, I picked her up," Ben said, "She was tired and I left her sleeping in her bed. Then I started to watch TV but dozed off here on the couch."

"Ben, she's not here in the apartment," Gwen said with a pale face.

"What?" Ben's eyes widened. He rushed to Dawn's bedroom and didn't see her there. He made a quick search through the house but didn't find her either.

"Hex... He might have figured out a way to track her. He probably kidnapped her," Gwen said filled with dread.

"No, that didn't happen." Ben tried to reassure his cousin. "If Hex had been here, he would've killed me in my sleep. Can't you feel Dawn's aura? "

"No, the spell I made to hide her from Hex prevents that," Gwen explained.

"Ok, I have an idea." Ben dialed the Omnitrix and turned into Wildmutt, so he could track Dawn down by her scent. He went to her bedroom to begin the search there, but surprisingly he smelled and heard the sound of the toddler's breath coming from her own bed. Wildmutt had no eyes, but all his enhanced senses said that Dawn was still right there.

Ben turned back to normal, but didn't see the child. "It's not possible ..."

"Wait a minute." Gwen raised her hand toward the bed and conjured a spell, " _Nega Invisibilitas_."

Then Ben and Gwen finally saw Dawn asleep. The toddler had a peaceful expression on her face.

"What happened?" Ben asked, after the two of them left the room and let Dawn continue sleeping without interruption.

"I think she used an invisibility spell unintentionally while she was sleeping," Gwen said.

"She's not even three years old yet. Should that be possible?" Ben's eyes widened.

"No. Dawn is too powerful." Gwen bit her lip. "I'm afraid she'll end up unintentionally manifesting her powers in public soon..."

Then the doorbell rang. Ben and Gwen went to answer it, and it was Lucy.

"Hey guys!" The Lenopan girl tackled them in a triple hug, "Congratulations! But I wish you had told me earlier yourselves."

"Told you what?" Ben asked.

"That you two finally decided to ignore the U.S. prejudice against cousin relationships and begin dating," Lucy stated matter-of-factly. For her, a Lenopan, it was still weird that some places on Earth had a problem with cousin relationships.

"Lucy!" Gwen scolded her, "You're trying to make fun of us again, huh?"

"I swear, today I don't want to pull any pranks on you two." Lucy raised her hands up to show innocence, an Earth custom that she had learned. "When I asked for Ben and Gwen downstairs, an old lady commented that you are two adorable lovebirds. As far as I know, you two are not birds, and that expression is a figure of speech for a passionate couple."

Ben and Gwen blushed in embarrassment, and looked at each other. "Mrs. Agnes," they both said at the same time.

"Oh, so the old lady was mistaken then? That's a shame," Lucy said. "Anyway, Gwen, I think you'd actually be better off with Ben, especially now that Kevin's in jail... Ops, it slipped." Lucy slapped her forehead, "Crap. I had planned to tell this to you in a much more delicate way."

"What?" Gwen folded her arms, "Lucy, that's not funny."

"As I said, I'm not here to pull pranks on you. I actually came to tell you that Kevin was arrested. Dawn's grandparents went missing two weeks ago, and the Plumbers found them in Italy. They said they ran away because Kevin threatened to kill them if they didn't take Dawn back from you, Gwen. "

Gwen collapsed on the couch, "I was going to say I don't believe it, but considering everything Kevin has done in the past, I do believe it."

"Just calm down, cuz." Ben hugged Gwen and kissed her hair in a comforting gesture.

Ben glanced at Lucy, who winked at him and whispered, _"Go ahead, Ben! It's your big chance!"_ Ben flashed a reproving glance at her in response ... Although a part of him felt tempted to follow Lucy's advice.

But another part of Ben felt worried about Kevin. This was the beginning of a fall that would surely lead to the birth of Kevin 11,000 and Ben had to do something to prevent it.

* * *

Kevin was locked in a cell without being able to move, bound to a table with his hands, feet and belly strapped by special restraints to contain his powers.

After a long and uncomfortable wait, a man appeared who looked like a hybrid between a human and a Cerebrocrustacean. He had a generously proportioned head, orange skin, red eyes, and was wearing a black uniform.

"Please, you have to get me out of here. They made a mistake, I'm innocent!" Kevin begged.

"Spare me, Levin. I can read your mind and I know there was no mistake." the man folded his arms, "But I invested too much into you to throw it all away like this, so I'm going to let you go this time... after I fix your mind again."

"What do you mean again?" Kevin asked, "You talk like we know each other, but I have no idea who you are..."

"I am Servantis, and you are my masterpiece. How do you think a murderous psychopath was turned into an exemplary citizen? It was me, with my mental powers, who created you, the good Kevin, and separated you from Kevin 11, your original personality. I created the light, and I separated the light from the darkness." Servantis smiled grimly, put his hand on Kevin's head and his eyes glowed, "You just don't remember that. And you'll never remember."

"Aaaaaaaargh!" Kevin cried out in pain. Kevin 11 looked at Servantis with pure hatred. "You son of a bitch! Do as many mental blocks as you want, I'll come back! This will only make me stronger!"

 

* * *

The next day Kevin called Gwen and asked to meet her in a café.

Gwen was waiting for him with her arms folded.

"Gwen, I know you're angry, but it wasn't me," Kevin apologized, "That's why they let me go. They know I'm innocent."

"Who was it then? Lucy pulling a prank on Dawn's grandparents?" Gwen asked, still angry.

"No. It was Kevin 11, my evil self. But he didn't hurt them, and I managed to get behind the wheel again in time. And I promise it will never happen again," Kevin said with sincerity.

"I understand you have a psychological disorder, Kevin, I really do. But from what your evil personality did, it's very clear that he wants to take Dawn from me and I will not let that happen. I really hope you recover, but we can't be together," Gwen sighed.

"No, Gwen, please," Kevin said desperately, "I'm going to do what I should've done right from the start. I want you and Dawn to move in with me."

"What?" Gwen was surprised at the offer, especially at that moment, "Kevin, in your present condition, taking care of a baby-"

"I know, that's what I thought at first too. That I was too problematic to raise a child. That's why I didn't want you to take Dawn in. But, see, even Kevin 11's sick mind had logic: he wanted you back. I was jealous of Dawn, I thought that she was pushing you away from me, and Kevin 11 tried to deal with it with violence, threatening Dawn's grandparents to take her back from you. But if I had agreed that you and Dawn could move in with me when you made that offer months ago, that would've never happened. I want to correct that mistake now. "

Gwen hesitated for a moment. Her first idea really was moving in with Kevin, but now everything was working out so well with Ben, she was simply tempted to follow the old saying "If it ain't broken don't fix it". She didn't know if Kevin would take care of Dawn as good as Ben did.

"And I'm sure Ben would be very happy too," Kevin chuckled. "Julie is a little upset because ever since this started, he has been spending less time with her."

"What?" Gwen was quite surprised, "Ben didn't tell me any of this. Where did you get that from?"

"Please don't tell anyone, but Julie had already called me a few weeks ago to ask me to do what I'm doing now," Kevin confessed sheepishly, "It's not too hard to guess that she's not happy with this whole arrangement and wants more attention from her boyfriend than she's getting now."

Gwen always knew that Julie was upset that Ben had to constantly cancel dates with her because of hero emergencies. It made sense that things were even worse now that he, besides being a superhero, was helping Gwen to take care of Dawn. Ben had probably not said anything so Gwen wouldn't feel guilty, but she realized she was undermining his relationship with Julie, and maybe the right thing to do was accepting Kevin's offer.

But she was still hesitant, mainly due to Kevin's recent 'crisis'.

Kevin noticed the hesitation in Gwen's eyes. He took her hand in his and begged, "Gwen, I know you are worried about this, but you've turned me from a monster into a hero, I'm the best version of myself when I'm by your side. And I love you more than anything." Dawn is important to you, so she'll be important to me too. I promise I will not disappoint you. Please, give me the chance to take care of you and Dawn."

Gwen was deeply touched by Kevin's words. She smiled and said "Yes, Kevin."

Kevin grinned from ear to ear, hugged his girlfriend and kissed her. He felt like the happiest man in the world.

* * *

When Gwen came back to the apartment, the living room was full of cobwebs and she had a small panic attack - she didn't like to admit it, but she had a fear of spiders.

But soon she was relieved to see Spider-Monkey swinging Dawn in a hammock made of webs. The toddler was giggling. It was clear that she was enjoying the playtime very much.

"Hi, Gwen," Spider-Monkey said, "Later I'll clean up this mess with the webs."

"Ben, I need to talk to you about something important," she said in a serious tone.

"Ok. Dawn, go to your room and draw me a picture, would you?" Spider-Monkey turned back into Ben again and took Dawn from the hammock.

But the toddler threw a tantrum, "Want to play with Uncle Ben!"

"We will play again later, baby brat, don't worry," Ben kissed the girl's forehead.

"How did the talk with Kevin go?" Ben asked after Dawn had already gone to her bedroom.

"He offered for me and Dawn to move in with him," Gwen said in a neutral tone. Before she was happy with Kevin's declaration of love, but now she felt her heart clenching at the realization that she would no longer be close to her cousin on a daily basis. She would miss these months she had spent with Ben.

"Oh, that's good." Ben's words were positive, but his voice tone betrayed his displeasure at the idea. Gwen thought he'd be happy to have more time for Julie, but that definitely wasn't the case. Ben quickly excused himself and went to his bedroom.

* * *

Gwen was packing while Dawn eyed her with a puzzled expression.

"What you doin?" Dawn asked.

"Packing our bags, honey. We're moving," Gwen replied, trying to smile at the girl.

Then Dawn's next words broke Gwen's heart, "Me, Mommy, and Daddy?"

Gwen held her breath, "Mommy and Daddy, dear?"

"Is not Aunt Gwen new mommy? Is not Uncle Ben new daddy?" Dawn asked confused.

Gwen gave the girl a tight hug and a kiss on her cheek. She stopped packing and went to the other bedroom. Gwen knocked on the door and it took almost a minute for Ben to open it. His eyes were wet. He was trying to hide that he had been crying, but without much success.

Gwen closed the bedroom's door and hugged him tight for a long time in silence.

"If you ask me to stay with you, I'll stay," Gwen finally whispered.

"But didn't Kevin offer for you to move in with him? Isn't that what you wanted all along? "Ben asked a little surprised, "You don't want to live with your cousin for the rest of your life, do you?"

Gwen took Ben's hands in hers and stared deep into his eyes, "I want to be with you for the rest of my life, Ben. I know we can build a beautiful family together. I thought Kevin was what I wanted, but now... I think it was because I never had the courage to consider you as an option before."

Ben felt his heart beat as fast as XLR8.

This was the moment he both longed for and dreaded at the same time.

Ben saw several 'lives' flashing before his eyes, flashes of all the visions of possible futures that he had as Eye-Guy. He knew there was only one way to be happy - staying with Gwen. And he knew there was only one way to prevent Kevin from turning Kevin 11,000 - losing Gwen to Kevin.

That decision would be made now.

**TO BE CONTINUED**


	5. Chapter 5

As the dozens of possible futures flashed through Ben's mind, he didn't notice Gwen stepping closer to him. Her face - and her lips - were mere inches away from him...

When Ben finally noticed how close she was, his brain stopped working. He had dreamed about it for so long that he acted out of pure instinct. Ben held Gwen by the waist and kissed her, at first, gently, then harder, deeper, with a fervent urgent need he never know he had before.

When the two of them broke the kiss to breathe, Ben came to his senses and realized that he shouldn't have done that, "I-I'm s-so sorry, Gwen, I r-really am..." Ben staggered away.

Gwen grabbed his hand, "It's okay. I think we both have felt this ... _thing_ ... between us and have been trying to deny it for a very long time. It's time we stop pretending that this doesn't exist," she whispered.

"Gwen, we can't ..." Ben replied sheepishly.

"You want this, but you're afraid of what people would think. I thought you were braver than that." Gwen lowered her head.

Ben realized that this wasn't difficult just for him, it was difficult for her too. They had been 'playing things safe' for years, and she was very brave to be upfront like that.

"It's not that," Ben said without thinking. He should've lied and said that she was right, that he simply didn't have the courage to go for a taboo relationship. He knew he shouldn't tell her the truth.

"What is it then?" Gwen folded her arms.

"I ... I ..." Ben hesitated. "You're right. I just don't want people to think we're weirdos."

"BS!" Gwen stepped forward. "I know you well enough to know when you're lying, Benjamin Kirby Tennyson!"

"If I tell you, Gwen, this is going to destroy you, just like it's been eating me up inside for years!"

Gwen was taken aback by Ben's desperate reaction. She caressed his face, "It's touching that you want to protect me, but whatever is tormenting you, you don't have to go through it alone. Is that why you are having trouble sleeping?"

Ben nodded.

"Tell me everything, Ben," Gwen said in a gentle voice.

"No, I'm sorry, but it's better this way." Ben sighed. "Let's just pretend this never happened and get back to normal-"

"Okay, so I'm going to use a spell to read your mind," Gwen put her hands on his head, and before he could stop her, she was already reciting the spell.

Then Gwen saw everything. All the visions of possible futures where the two were happy together, but Kevin had become a major threat, and other futures where Gwen stayed with Kevin and Ben lived a miserable life - and more than that: she saw how much Ben loved her, and how painful it was for him to repress that.

She almost fell, being mentally overwhelmed by all that, but Ben held her before she fell. "You shouldn't have done that, Dweeb!" He scolded her.

"And you should have told me, Doofus!" She scolded him too. "How accurate are Eye-Guy's visions?"

"They show a lot of possible futures, but they are very accurate," Ben replied, "I saw Julie long before I actually met her, and I saw you and Kevin together when you wouldn't even think about it."

"When I started dating Kevin, I thought he had left his dark past behind him, regardless of me. Your visions have shown me that this isn't true," Gwen said in a whisper," I can't have a relationship with Kevin with these dark clouds looming overhead."

"I imagine it's also hard to have a relationship with a guy who tried to kill you several times when you were a kid, but you did it, didn't you? Maybe you can make it work." Ben scratched his head.

"Are you actually arguing in favor of me staying with Kevin, or are you using irony to say that I shouldn't be with him?" Gwen raised her eyebrows, "Anyway, I can't do that. The pressure to know that I **have** to stay with Kevin so he doesn't turn bad again ... "

"It's almost the same pressure to know that I **have** to give up a chance with the girl I like to keep him from turning bad again and making a - or several - carnage," Ben let out a sigh, "I wanted to protect you. I would bear it alone, so you didn't have to. You could have a normal life with Kevin without knowing it, and you would be happy."

"But now I know. And I'm not going back to him."

"Gwen, you have-"

"Is that what you really want, Ben?" Gwen interrupted him.

"I honestly don't know any more," Ben sat on the bed. He wanted to be with her, but he also wanted to do the right thing.

Gwen sat beside him and put her hand on his shoulder. "I know you're trying to save lives, but you have to worry about your own life too. If you don't, you'll become just like that Ben 10,000 we met when we were kids. "

"I remember him. He was always patrolling. He didn't even go back to human form, he just jumped from one alien to another, from one problem to another... " Ben said, remembering the first future he saw - a future he had seen in person.

"Exactly. Don't you think he actually saved a lot more people that way? I mean, if you're here talking to me, you're not on the other side of the world saving someone in danger," Gwen said.

"You're right!" Ben looked at Gwen as if he had made a groundbreaking discovery. "I always thought that Ben 10,000 was an idiot, but now I see that he was right. Having a personal life isn't working for me. I love being with you and Dawn, but I know I can't do that. And Julie... Oh my God, I've been a horrible boyfriend to Julie. If I am a full-time hero and completely drop my personal life, it will be so much easier for me, and I will save everyone!"

"Ben, you got it all wrong!" Gwen facepalmed. "What I meant is the opposite. You don't have to sacrifice your own humanity to be a hero. Ben 10,000 did that, and you are doing the same now because of Kevin. This isn't the way, Ben."

"But how are we going to save the people that Kevin is going to kill? Minority Report style, we kill Kevin before he hurts someone?" Ben folded his arms. Of course he _wasn't_ actually suggesting that, he was just pouring out his frustration with not being able to find a good solution to the problem at hand.

"You can't see all the possible infinite futures, Ben. We can help Kevin. I'll talk to him and tell him the truth. I'm going to convince him that he needs to beat his inner demons for himself, not for me."

"Gwen!" Ben cupped her face in his hands. "I understand Kevin. He had a life full of tragedy. You're the only good thing he got. If he can't have you, he won't _want to_ beat his inner demons. It will be easier to let them take over."

Gwen cupped his face too "We're going to do our best, but whatever happens to him and whatever he does, it's not our fault. And your feelings are no less important than Kevin's just because you won't hurt people if you don't get what you want. You know the saying, 'he who is merciful to the cruel will become cruel to the merciful'. It's not fair for you to be cruel to yourself to make things work for Kevin."

After a few moments of silence, Gwen spoke again.

"Would it be right for me to stay with you just out of pity because I know that, according to the futures you saw, if we are not together you will be depressed?" she asked.

"No, you have to make that choice for yourself, not for me," Ben said.

"That's what I am doing. I will not stay with you to prevent a bad future for you, just like I won't do this for Kevin. Before I knew all this, I wanted to give us a chance, and I still do."

For a long time, Ben's conscience was plagued by questions. What makes someone a hero? How much does he have to sacrifice of himself? How much responsibility does he have over other people?

He was tired of these questions. He didn't know if Gwen was right or wrong, but he wanted to sleep at night without nightmares. And he wanted to sleep by her side.

"I need to know what you really want, Ben," Gwen asked.

He answered her with a long, but this time chaste, kiss on the lips.

"It's getting late. Let's put Dawn to sleep now, and leave our problems for tomorrow," Gwen smiled at him after the kiss.

The two got up from the bed and went to Dawn's bedroom. The little girl had a sheet of paper in her hand.

"What did you draw, sweetie?" Ben asked. He approached to see the drawing and had a big surprise.

The drawing was Dawn and her biological mother, Margie, in Ledgerdomain. Ben and Gwen didn't know what surprised them the most, the drawing being extremely well done for a toddler, or the content itself.

"Have you ever been to this place with your mother, dear?" Gwen asked. Dawn nodded affirmatively. Gwen found it a bit odd, since around her Margie had never shown much interest in magic beyond the basics, and definitely to visit Ledgerdomain it required much more than just the basics. Maybe she just didn't want to tell Gwen that she was learning magic from someone else?

"Honey, how did you draw this picture?" Ben asked.

She grabbed another sheet of paper, closed her eyes, and the sheet began to glow red. After a few seconds, there was a very well done picture of herself playing in a kid's playground.

"She can turn pictures in her thoughts into drawings!" Gwen whispered to Ben.

"We leaving?" Dawn asked, staring at the half-finished bags that Gwen had begun to pack before.

"No, we won't, sweetie," Gwen picked up the girl and kissed her on the cheek.

"YAAAY! I like here!" Dawn raised her little arms up in excitement, "Can play now?"

"No, it's too late already, baby. We can play tomorrow. Now let's put you to sleep," Gwen replied.

"Alriiiiiiight," Dawn said, visibly annoyed, "but something first!"

"Ok," Gwen put her back on the floor.

Dawn picked up another sheet of paper and made one more drawing with magic. This time it was the three of them at the zoo. Dawn was in the middle, holding hands with Ben and Gwen, "Mommy, Daddy, for you."

Ben grinned like a fool, deeply touched and surprised at being called daddy. "Did you hear that, Gwen?"

"Yes," Gwen chuckled. "This is the second time. She talked to me before too, but you were in the other room. You can start getting used to the idea. "

"This is incredible!" Ben seemed more impressed at being called a father than with the magical powers of the girl.

"Put her to bed, 'daddy', while I unpack these bags." Gwen patted her cousin's shoulder.

"Come on, honey." Ben picked up Dawn and put her on the bed.

"Story! Story! Story!" She began clapping with excitement.

"Ok, ok." Ben randomly picked up a children's book on the shelf. "The Tale of The Flopsy Bunnies."

Ben was calmly reading the story until a certain point. "When Benjamin Bunny grew up, he married his cousin-" Ben widened his eyes, "That's a big coincidence."

Later, after he had finished reading the story, Ben wished Dawn goodnight with a kiss on the forehead and went to the other room. Gwen was waiting for him.

"I feel like a bunny tonight, Gwen," Ben said, laying down on top of Gwen and covering her with dozens of kisses. He kissed her face, neck and lips. Oh, God, Ben wanted to do that for so long. 

A little while later, Gwen gently pushed him away so that he would get off her, "Ben, I thought for a bit, and we can't do this-"

"What? Did you change your mind about giving us a chance?" Ben asked with a clenching heart.

"Oh, no, not at all." She held Ben's hand. "I meant we can't do this now. I'm still with Kevin and you're with Julie. We have to talk to them first."

"You're right," Ben sighed. He again felt very bad, now thinking of his own girlfriend Julie. He knew he didn't love her, so why had he been with her for so long? He saw his possible futures, and he knew that if he tried to live a normal life as a single man he would spend his nights drinking until he drops. With Julie, he would still be depressed, but at least he wouldn't be completely alone and would deal better - or not as bad - with the situation. Still, it wasn't fair to her. "I'm going to talk to Julie, and we're going to talk to Kevin together."

"No, I'll talk to him alone, Ben," Gwen said.

"I will not leave you alone with him. It's too dangerous! He might freak out and try to kill you," Ben protested.

"I'm going to meet him in a public place. You can stay close by, but out of sight. If he sees you, then he'll freak out for sure."

"Alright," Ben took a deep breath, and stood up to get out of bed, but Gwen grabbed his hand.

"Stay," she asked, "We were sleeping together before... It's n-no b-big deal."

"Isn't it?" Although the bedroom was dark and nobody would see it, Ben blushed hard at the memory of the nights Gwen slept beside him to ward off nightmares, which became a habit. Was it purely innocent or not? When it comes to his relationship with Gwen, Ben never knew exactly where to draw the line between cousin love and romantic love, but he knew that this _thing_ between him and Gwen had _always_ been there.

He laid on the bed and Gwen laid her head on his chest. He fell asleep holding hands with her.

Ben dreamed that he and Gwen lived happily ever after, with Dawn and five other children, their children. Kevin remained a hero and their friend, just like Julie. They were all rabbits in that dream.

* * *

The next day Gwen invited Kevin to lunch at a restaurant.

She had a discreet button on her dress, which would serve to call Ben if things spiraled out of control. Ben was waiting inside his car, parked in the back of the restaurant, and ready to intervene if necessary.

When Kevin arrived, Gwen was already waiting for him at the table. Kevin wanted to greet her with a peck on the lips, but Gwen turned her face for the kiss to be on the cheek. Kevin thought it was odd, but he didn't comment about it.

"So, when are you going to move into my house?" he asked with a smile.

"About that, Kevin..." Gwen started.

"You are not moving?" The grin vanished from Kevin's face.

"I'm so sorry. I reconsidered my decision. Dawn is already attached to Ben. He's a paternal figure to her, and ... let's be honest, Kevin, you told me you didn't want this. You'd be just forcing a change in yourself because of me, which brings me to the second point. Your past, have you really changed, or are you being good because of me?" she asked with a worried look.

"Gwen, you make me want to be a better person. My love for you was my redemption," Kevin replied.

Gwen sighed. "Kevin, you can't think like that. You have a good life, your workshop, a place to live, free from problems with the authorities. With or without me, you have everything to walk the path of good. And you're very handsome. You wouldn't have any trouble finding another girlfriend. "

Kevin laughed. "Usually you're super jealous. Now you're encouraging me to find a second girlfriend? I won't complain. Your cousin Sunny can- Wait… You're breaking up with me!" Kevin's eyes widened. Then his face contorted with rage. "Ben, that son of a bitch ..."

Gwen took a deep breath. Was it so obvious that she was with Ben? She thought about breaking up with Kevin and waiting at least a few weeks before letting him know she was with Ben, but since he had guessed, she didn't want to lie and deny the facts.

"Kevin, you don't know how worried he is about you," Gwen defended Ben.

"Not worried enough. If he were, he wouldn't have stolen my girlfriend." Kevin snorted with hate. "He was my best friend and you were my girlfriend. He had his girl, Julie. Everything was right, in _harmony_. But then he decides to break that harmony. I made some mistakes recently, yes, and Ben took advantage of that, approached you and manipulated the situation in his favor. He seduced  _my_ girl, his own cousin. He's a **sick disgusting backstabbing son of a bitch**!" Kevin banged his fist on the table in anger.

Kevin looked around, realizing that everyone in the restaurant turned their eyes to him. Even the security guards.

"Ben didn't steal anything from anyone. I made my own decision, Kevin," Gwen stated firmly. "And please, don't throw your life away. Don't dishonor your father's memory, don't let hate take over you. Be good, I know you can," Gwen said sincerely. "And I want you to know, Ben and I are here to help you. Maybe you don't want to see our faces ever again, and I respect your decision if that's the case, but we will always consider you a friend. When you calm down, please think about it."

Kevin took a deep breath and said, "You're right, Gwen. If I let my anger speak louder now, that's all that Tennyson snake needs to make you stop trusting me forever. I love you, Gwen. Your cousin is a jerk, and I'll be here - clean and as a hero - when you see that…" Kevin got up and left.

A few minutes later, Gwen returned to Ben's car.

"It was better than you expected, Ben. He's mad at you, and he's still hoping he and I can be together again, but he's not going to hurt anyone," Gwen said after getting into the car.

"I wish I could believe in that too," Ben sighed and started the engines.

* * *

Kevin collapsed on the couch. He was not only shocked by his best friend's betrayal, he also couldn't understand how Ben Tennyson managed to steal _his_ girl. Kevin was much more handsome, taller, and stronger. He had the bad boy style that girls dig, and especially, he wasn't Gwen's freaking cousin. The only reason Gwen would trade Kevin for Ben was if she'd been bewitched…

And then Kevin had an epiphany. He immediately sent a message to his old pal Argit. A few minutes later, Argit called Kevin.

"Kevin, do you really want me to find this guy for you? Are you crazy?" Argit asked.

"You owe me, Argit. I saved your life several times, not to mention that I know all about your little schemes and if I make a call to the Plumbers..."

"Alright! I'll find him for you."

"Now you're talking, pal." Kevin smirked.

* * *

**A few days later.** **  
**

Kevin entered the abandoned warehouse, the meeting place set up by Argit. In the shadows, there was a man dressed in a red and black cloak. He was holding a wooden staff with a bird skull on top, and he had a black and white tattoo that resembled a skull covering his entire face.

"I have no time to waste, boy," the man's menacing voice echoed in the empty warehouse.

"Hex, I need a love potion, something strong, that will make a person stay in love with me forever," Kevin said.

"And why would I give this to you?" Hex crossed his arms.

"Because in return, I can give your daughter Dawn back to you."  
**  
****TO BE CONTINUED**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * For those of you who are curious, I did NOT make up "The Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies" (the children's tale with a Benjamin Bunny who married his cousin). The original Peter Rabbit tales were made many years ago in England (cousin relationships weren't a big deal there). A reader from the brazilian site where I publish my stories in portuguese is a fan and she mentioned it to me, so I decided to include a reference to it here for fun.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A new chapter! Sorry for the long wait, folks.
> 
> * I have to comment about something. I think it's already noticeable, but I'll still say it: The identities of Ben and Gwen are secret in this fic. If Ben were a celebrity, the media would have found out that Dawn was with him and Gwen, and Hex would have come after her a long time ago.

_Ding-dong_. The apartment doorbell rang.

Ben, a little paranoid with all the visions of the futures still haunting him, jumped of the couch with a hand over the Omnitrix.

"Ben, can you answer the door, please?" Gwen asked from the bathroom. "I'm giving Dawn a bath."

"I'm on my way." Ben turned into Ghostfreak, and went invisible to spy on the outside corridor first.

The young hero braced himself to find a Kevin thirsting for revenge knocking at his door, but his paranoia was unfounded. Standing at the door was a nice looking couple, a dark-skinned woman with curly hair wearing glasses and a dark-skinned man with short hair and a beard.

Ghostfreak returned to the apartment, turned back into Ben and answered the door with a smile. "Hi. What can I do for you?"

"You're Ben, right?" The man asked. Ben replied affirmatively and gave him a handshake. "My name is Marco and this is my wife Nicole." The woman also shook hands with Ben.

"My grandmother, Ms. Agnes, talked a lot about you, your girlfriend, and your daughter," Nicole said.

Ben remembered the elderly owner of the building, Ms. Agnes, had always insisted that he and Gwen were in a relationship, and that Dawn was their daughter. Both tried to explain several times that they were just cousins. But now, Ben and Gwen were indeed dating, so surprisingly Ms. Agnes turned out to be right.

"My husband and I have a daughter who will have her fourth birthday party this weekend. We wanted to invite you and your family to be there. I think our daughters can be friends." Nicole handed Ben an invitation.

"Thank you very much, we will be there," Ben said with a sincere smile.

* * *

Kevin was repairing a car. The owner of the vehicle was waiting there, he had "nothing better to do anyway", he said. The man was also very drunk.

"My wifeeeee dumped meeee!" The drunk man dragged his words.

"I'm sorry, sir. I can sympathize with your situation. My girlfriend broke up with me a few days ago," Kevin said from under the car.

"It waaas woooorseee than thaaaat. The biiiitch dumped me to get it ooon with her own cooooousin! Freaking disguuusting! And the baaaaastard used to be my frieeend too… I waaaant to kill both of theeeem…" The man snarled.

Kevin was surprised to see how this man's trajectory paralleled his own. He was about to say a few words of encouragement when he had a bad feeling about that. His many years as a street criminal taught him to notice when someone was trying to deceive him.

Kevin got out from under the car, got up, crossed his arms, glared at the man and said in a very hostile tone, "Who are you and what are you doing here?"

"Waiting for youuuu to repaaair my caaaar," the man said, looking a little scared.

"Tell me the truth or else..." Kevin slowly approached the man, who took a few steps back.

"Get away from her!" A group of Plumbers armed to the teeth entered the garage. They were led by Joel and Camille.

"Crap! I told you to stay away! You ruined everything!" The 'drunken man' let out a sigh and before their eyes turned into a young blond girl. She smirked at Kevin and said, "I almost got you."

"Lucy," Kevin stated in scorn.

Lucy was Camille's younger cousin, and Joel and Camille loved Lucy like a daughter. It was understandable why they were extremely worried about her safety, so they decided to intervene with a team of Plumbers when they thought she was in danger.

"You were trying to befriend the 'big bad monster' here, make me open up about my 'evil plans' of killing Ben and Gwen, is that it?" Kevin asked sarcastically, "Don't you Plumbers remember when I was busting my ass to save the world from the Highbreed Invasion? After everything I did, am I still the bad guy?"

"One day you're saving the world, the other you're setting it on fire." Lucy shrugged. "Can you blame me for trying to find out which side the coin fell on today?"

"A few days ago, you threatened to kill two elderly citizens. You have someone big pulling the strings for you upstairs to keep you out of jail, but we know very well what you're capable of, and we're watching you, especially now," Joel said. The team was still pointing their guns at Kevin.

"I just want to be left alone. I'm not doing anything wrong now, and you Plumbers here at my garage are violating my privacy! Go away now!" Kevin demanded.

A few minutes later, inside the bathroom, Kevin looked at the mirror and saw his reflection, which turned into a manifestation of his dark personality, Kevin 11.

"The Plumbers are on to us. We can't just kill Ben, hand Dawn over to Hex, get Gwen to drink the love potion, and simply expect the Plumbers not to suspect something wrong is going on," Kevin 11 said.

"That was never the plan," Kevin washed his face. "I will not deliver an innocent child to Hex. I'll trick Hex. I'll give Dawn to him temporarily, and then I'll take her back and kill the wizard. I'll be the great hero I've always been! Gwen will love me for saving the kid - even if she needs a little push from the love potion, it's for her own good. And Ben will lament for the rest of his days the fact that he lost Gwen to me, a fate worse than death."

"We still need a scapegoat," Kevin 11 said. "It will not do any good pretending to be a hero if-"

"I'm not pretending anything! I am a hero! The real villain is that son of a bitch who stole my girl! I'm just doing whatever it takes to take her back from him!" Kevin said in anger.

"As I was saying, it will not do any good pretending to be a hero if anyone finds out that we were the ones who helped Hex to get to Dawn." Kevin 11 ignored his other half's tantrum. "We are a part of the selected few people who actually know about Dawn. We will obviously be the prime suspects."

"That's why we're going to work on increasing the pool of suspects," Kevin smirked with a glint of Kevin 11's darkness in his eyes.

* * *

While Dawn and Gwen slept peacefully, Ben - as Grey Matter - was in the living room, working hard on a device. He was still having trouble sleeping, and that work was an attempt to relax.

"Ben?" The voice of a sleepy Gwen was heard. "What are you doing?"

Grey Matter turned back into Ben. "A quick tattoo removal device. Grey Matter has already created some very interesting gadgets. This is the newest one. "

"Congratulations!" Gwen said with sincerity. "But you should be sleeping." She pulled him by the arm. "Come on. I swear you are more work for me than Dawn, you big baby."

Back in the bed, Gwen hugged Ben's head against her chest as she stroked his hair. Ben felt quite comfortable with his head rubbing against those two soft natural "pillows." If it had not been for the funny feeling in his pants, he would have easily slept in that position.

"Is there anything you want to tell me, Ben?" Gwen asked in a gentle voice.

"This is a low blow!" Ben complained. That way, he wouldn't resist and he would tell Gwen anything. Ben sighed and began to speak. "I just... I'm with the girl of my dreams and everything is fine with our little girl Dawn, and I haven't been this happy since I was ten, but at the same time... I can't ignore this feeling that something really, really bad is about to happen at any moment."

Gwen kissed his hair. "I'm going to get rid of any bad feelings you have..." she said in a seductive voice, "You said you're happy. I'll make sure all you will feel is happiness." The redhead positioned herself on top of him, with her legs pining his hips.

Was she really ...? Ben's eyes widened in surprise.

"You're the man of my life, Ben. You always were, and you always will be," she said, looking him deep in the eyes.

Ben's mind replayed the memory of Gwen pushing Ben away to save him from the wildvines in Xenon, and how he simply stopped caring about anything - even the self-destruction of the Omnitrix that could potentially destroy the whole universe - after he mistakenly thought his cousin had died.

"And you're my universe," Ben replied, also looking into her eyes.

The green eyes of the two of them met in an intense stare for a few seconds that lasted an eternity, until all that tension between them blew up in a passionate kiss. The two explored each other's mouths with their hungry tongues for a long minute until they had to stop to breathe.

"Gwen, can you cast a spell to make this bedroom soundproof? We don't want to wake Dawn..." Ben said with a mischievous grin.

* * *

"This is the place." Ben stopped the car near the party hall.

"Yippee!" Dawn shouted from the baby seat in the back. She was very excited for the party. Ben, however, was a little nervous.

"Gwen, what are we going to say that we are? Cousins? Boyfriend and girlfriend?" Ben asked in a worried tone.

"We don't have to say anything. We are what we are, and we don't owe an explanation to anyone," Gwen said with a smile.

"Probably no one here knows us, but if we are not discreet about our relationship, someone might, I don't know, take a picture of us and put it on Facebook, and some friend or relative of ours may figure things out," Ben warned.

"Relax, Ben. You're not ashamed of me, are you? "Gwen asked, tilting her head to the side.

"Of course not, never!" Ben said without hesitation, "I accept anything to be with you. But I don't want you to be humiliated, to lose friends or get in trouble with our family because of me. "

Gwen chuckled, "Ben, my last boyfriend had a criminal past and I adopted a child when I'm only 18 and still attending college. Do you think I don't know what it's like to have people talking crap about me? I don't care. I bet when my mom and my friends find out, they'll think you're a step up when compared to Kevin, even if they still think I'm a bad picker. "

"But you are a bad picker," Ben said, "Lucky me."

They both burst into laughter, and then remained silent for a few moments, until Dawn complained, "Can we go already?"

Ben and Gwen left the car holding hands with Dawn. In front of the party hall door, Gwen gave Ben a quick peck on the lips and repeated, "We are who we are."

Dawn handed over the gift Ben had bought for the birthday girl, and her mother was right, the two little girls quickly became friends. In the party hall, there was a slide, a ball pool, and several toys for the children to play with. Dawn was having a blast.

"I'm getting nostalgic," Ben commented to Gwen while they watched Dawn play with her new friends in the ball pool, "I remember when it was the two of us playing like that."

"Why don't we go there too?" Gwen suggested.

"Are you serious? We're too old," Ben said.

Gwen rolled her eyes, "And you used to say I'm the one who doesn't know how to have fun. Doofus," she pulled Ben by the arm and the two of them entered the ball pool. It was quite large and parents were allowed to get inside to play with their children.

"Mommy! Daddy!" Dawn exclaimed happily.

"Dawn, let's hit Mommy dweeb!" Ben said and started throwing balls at Gwen. The redhead soon retaliated, throwing balls back at him. It was just like old times.

Another thing Ben enjoyed a lot at the party was the food. Snacks, chocolate truffles, pie, cake...

"Watch your manners, Ben!" Gwen scolded him for chewing with his mouth open, "Just because you played in the ball pool like you did when you were a kid, it doesn't mean you need to be gross like you were when you were a kid!"

"I've always had good manners, ever since I was a kid," Ben said... and then let out a burp. "Oops, my bad."

"I changed my mind. It's too humiliating to be seen in public with you. I want to break up," Gwen rolled her eyes.

Then Dawn let out a burp too and laughed, "Look, Daddy, I know how to do it too!"

Gwen gave Ben a disapproving look.

"Okay, okay," Ben said sheepishly. "I have a daughter now. I promise that I will try hard to improve my manners and be a good example."

Ms. Agnes introduced Ben and Gwen to several parents there. For the cousins' luck, no one asked too many questions. Possibly people noticed that Ben and Gwen were very young "parents" and imagined that questions would embarrass them.

But Ben wasn't embarrassed. He was proud. Ben put his hand on Gwen's waist and pulled her closer to him. Gwen was the most beautiful, intelligent and funny girl he knew, and she was his girlfriend. And together they were raising a wonderful little girl.

At some point during the party, a clown arrived to entertain the children. Dawn had a good time, but Ben was a bit uncomfortable - he was no longer afraid of clowns, but that didn't mean he liked them. And Ben's discomfort was actually justified.

The clown gave balloons to the children, tying them in the kids' arms so the balloons wouldn't fly away. But Dawn's balloon was not tied very well, and it flew up.

And then Dawn stretched out her tiny hands towards the balloon - which was on the ceiling of the party hall - and it levitated down back to her hands.

"Wow, what a coincidence. My little girl is very lucky," Gwen said with a fake smile to a couple that was sharing the table with her and Ben.

There was nothing they could do but hope that everyone there would believe that the balloon coming down was just a coincidence, and hope that no one would think Dawn had powers.

* * *

Hours later, back at the apartment, Dawn was sitting on a mat on the floor watching a cartoon on the TV while Ben and Gwen were sitting on the couch.

"It was a close call at the party today," Ben said in a low voice. "Do you think people believed that the balloon thing was a coincidence?"

"I think so," Gwen laid her head on Ben's shoulder as he wrapped his arms around her waist. "But I have to find a way for Dawn not to use magic in public, and I have to do it fast. She's only three years old. She's too young to understand that she can't do it. Probably in her head all the other children are just like her too."

Ben buried his nose in the redhead's hair and took in its pleasant fragrance. "You have a lot of books about magic. Doesn't any of them have advice from a wizard dad or a witch mom for this kind of thing?"

Gwen giggled. "Not really. Usually children with magical powers don't start to manifest their powers that early. But Dawn is very powerful. She is an exception. I'll try to adapt a spell or look for an artifact that might help."

"I'm sure you'll find something. And maybe Grey Matter can come up with a solution for that too, I'm going to work on it... if you give me some motivation, of course," Ben added the last part in a joking tone.

"Your motivation is to keep our identities secret, Doofus," Gwen giggled. Ben kissed his cousin's cheek, pressing his lips against her soft skin for a long time. Now that they were together, he wanted to make up for all the time away from her. If there wasn't a child in the room, he would definitely be doing a lot more than a kiss on the cheek. But that could wait until Dawn's bedtime...

"Change the channel," Dawn said in a sulky voice tone. Ben and Gwen were so engrossed in the conversation with each other that they didn't notice the cartoon Dawn was watching was already over, and the news had started.

Ben was about to switch channels when he realized that the news showed brief videos of several of his aliens. Then the image cut back to the studio, with the hateful host Will Harangue.

_"I am Will Harangue, and I've tirelessly denounced a threat from the outside - an ongoing alien invasion on our planet. I have to admit that I wasn't quite right in my assumptions."_

Ben laughed. "Is this jerk finally going to admit that I'm a hero and that he was wrong about me?"

_"The threat doesn't come only from the outside, from other planets. It comes from our midst. All those aliens you saw in the previous footage are actually one person, an American. And his name is Benjamin Kirby Tennyson. We will show a full report with all the evidence, and expect the authorities to take the appropriate actions against this criminal."_

If there wasn't a child in the room, Ben would utter a swear-word.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * Correction: Ben's identity WAS secret... up until now XD We will see the consequences of his identity being exposed in the next chapters.
> 
> * I could have included a 'hot' scene in this chapter, but I ended up cutting it for lack of time to write. But if there is a demand for it, after I finish the story, I can do an extra filler chapter with that scene.


	7. Chapter 7

**Kevin's house**

"What is this crap that I'm watching on TV, Kevin?" Argit asked over the phone. "This report from Will Harangue is tearing you apart too! I thought the whole point of that was to screw with Tennyson, not with you!"

On television, one could hear Harengue's harsh words,  _"And if the evidence against Tennyson were not enough, there is a saying: Tell me who you walk with, and I'll tell you who you are. These photos show Ben Tennyson alongside Kevin Levin. Levin is a criminal who should be rotting in jail! There is plenty of evidence that he used his powers to commit various crimes, terrorize people and contraband weapons! After all this, you know what happened? Levin became Ben's best friend! Ben Tennyson protects criminals, not innocents!"_

Kevin just laughed, "I anonymously gave Harangue proof against me too. It was the only way to make sure Ben, Gwen and the Plumbers won't suspect that it was me who leaked their secret identity."

"Yeah, but didn't you stop to think that this is going to ruin your life too?" Argit asked in a worried voice tone.

"I have a plan," Kevin said confidently.

Pictures of Ben and Gwen holding hands with Dawn were shown on the screen, as well as pictures of Ben and Gwen hugging each other and kissing on the cheek in public. It also showed them entering the building where they lived together. Unbeknown to Ben and Gwen, after Kevin had leaked Ben's secret to Harangue, the journalist's personal paparazzi team began discreetly stalking them to get enough evidence for the report.

" _The redhead in these pictures is not Ben Tennyson's girlfriend, or at least not officially. It's his cousin, Gwendolyn,"_  Harangue said, _"I won't accuse anyone, but in addition to an alien threat, it looks like Ben Tennyson is also a threat to America's customs and values. All evidence indicates that Tennyson is currently in an incestuous relationship with his own cousin! According to our investigations, they moved in together and adopted a little girl. What is the "Alien Hero" going to teach to this poor toddler? That a sick behavior like incest is a normal thing?!"_

Kevin smiled at Harengue's statements and continued talking to Argit on the phone, "I'm going to come up with a fake identity and leave the country with Gwen after I put her under the influence of the love potion. We will tell everyone that with our identities exposed in such a brutal way like that, we'd be better off starting over somewhere else. As a bonus, I will never again have to see her relatives - especially that bitch mother of hers. I wouldn't wish Natalie Tennyson as a mother-in-law on my worst enemy - I mean, I'd really like to see Ben get screwed a thousand times over, but Natalie's daughter will be mine, so I actually can't wish her as a mother-in-law to him," Kevin laughed.

"Well… I gotta admit, pal, it's actually a good plan!" Argit finally agreed.

* * *

**Ben's apartment.**

Ben had already called the Plumbers to take his and Gwen's parents from their houses to a safe place. In some cartoons, a hero could have his identity exposed and continue to live like a celebrity without any security concerns while the bad guys would simply accept to stay away from their families, but it wasn't like that in real life. Ben could already imagine a villain like Dr. Animo or Zombozo attacking his parents' home in Bellwood.

Also, Ben and Gwen would unfortunately have to leave the apartment too. After packing everything, Ben and Gwen said goodbye to the owner of the building, Mrs. Agnes.

"Ah, kids, good luck to you in the future." The old lady hugged them both, "I saw you on TV and-"

"Please, don't believe everything you see on TV, Mrs. Agnes," Ben was a bit embarrassed, "That guy Will Harangue told a lot of lies about me. I am not a bad guy. "

"Don't worry! I know you two are good people. Please, come here and visit every once in a while," Mrs. Agnes said with a smile.

When they left the building, there was a small crowd in the street clearly waiting for them." Gwen, stay here with Dawn, please. I'll take care of this."

Ben handed Dawn to Gwen and went to address the crowd. "I'll give you all ten seconds to get away from here!" he shouted angrily.

But to Ben's surprise, suddenly the crowd burst into applauses and chants of support, "Hero! Hero! Hero! Ben is our hero! Ax! Ax! Ax! He defeated Vilgax!"

Ben was a bit confused as he realized that he was actually being cheered. Some people picked him up and passed him around. He was crowd surfing like a rock star while the chants continued! A few moments later, when he was put down on the ground again, several people went to take pictures with him.

Gwen, who was a little farther away, realized that the crowd was actually supporting Ben and approached them. She noticed that some female fans were taking pictures with Ben and kissing him on the cheek. A little jealous and angry, Gwen stopped that, "Alright, enough with the pictures. We have to go now, Ben."

When they saw Gwen, the male fans jaws' dropped at the sight of the beauty of the redhead, and some whispers were heard, "She is so hot!", "I want a picture with her!", "If I ask for her phone number, will she give it to me?" but as they noticed Ben's angry glare, the whispers stopped.

After receiving another round of applause and saying goodbye to the fans, Ben, Gwen and Dawn got into the car and drove away.

* * *

**Plumbers Base.**

"I can't believe this!" Natalie furiously shouted at Ben. "My life is ruined because you couldn't keep your identity a secret!"

"Hey, Mom, it's not his fault!" Gwen defended her cousin.

"Don't start, young lady, I'm just as mad as you as I am at your cousin!" Natalie folded her arms. "I just found out that your ex-boyfriend, Kevin, was a delinquent of the worst kind and you never told me that! I always thought he was a stupid caveman with no future and far beneath you, but I've never imagined that he was a criminal! Is this really true or is it fake?"

"It's complicated ... He actually did some bad things in the past ..." Gwen blushed. She had never really told her mother certain things about Kevin. It was impossible to imagine an honest talk about that,  _"Hey Mom, this is Kevin. When we were kids, he tried to burn me alive, and then he threw me to die in Null-Void, but he's better now, and we're dating."_  That definitely wouldn't have worked well.

"To make matters worse, they are also inventing that my daughter is dating her own cousin! Gwen, I told you that moving in with Ben would cause a bad impression! Cousins don't live together and don't raise a child together. I know there is nothing going on between you two, but people will talk anyway," Natalie said disappointed.

Ben and Gwen looked at each other a bit embarrassed. They silently agreed that it would not be the best time to confess that they were actually dating.

"And now, I'm going to have to stay here in a small crap room at a Plumbers base for God only knows how long, because it's not safe to stay at my house anymore! And it's all your fault, Ben!" Natalie yelled.

Frank held back his wife and defended his nephew. "Don't be unfair to Ben! He's not to blame for anything that's happening here."

"Don't worry, Aunt Natalie, I have a plan to get us out of this situation. Everything is going to be all right," Ben said confidently.

* * *

The next day, Ben Tennyson called for a press conference. The reporters were full of questions for the young hero, but first he made a speech, "It's true, I can turn into aliens. And I have always used that power for the good of humanity. Lately, all kinds of fake news against me have been scattered through the press - especially by Mr. Will Harangue - but it's not what I've come to discuss here. In my spare time, I have created inventions that I believe are of public interest."

For many nights, Ben, as Grey Matter, had dedicated himself to creating inventions: a simple permanent tattoo remover, a chewing gum that actually helps to clean teeth, an ear-wearing portable universal translator... Ben presented several of his inventions to the press.

Before, he had to keep the inventions to himself, so he would not draw too much attention and preserve his identity, but now that he was already exposed, he could give - or sell - to the world everything Grey Matter had created.

"I'll leave my contact information, and I'll be happy to talk to any company willing to work with me to make any of these projects available to the public."

* * *

Shortly after that, Ben had already signed contracts with several companies and made a lot of money. He took the Tennyson family to an imposing tower. The lower floors functioned as a Plumbers base of operations.

"What are we doing here?" Aunt Natalie asked with irritation. "I already had more than enough of staying at a Plumbers base, no need to take me somewhere else for even more of that."

"Don't worry, Aunt Natalie, you'll like this one," Ben said with a smile as he led everyone to an elevator.

The elevator stopped on one of the upper floors in a luxurious living room. There was a huge flat screen television, a very comfortable velvet couch, among other luxury items. Besides the living room, on that floor there was also a bathroom, kitchen, bedroom, a work office, among other things. And everything in there looked like it was made for a millionaire's house.

"Wow," Natalie's eyes glowed.

"This Tower was a deactivated Plumbers base before, but with the money I got from my inventions, I agreed to help reactivate the base and add an environment where we all can live safely and comfortably, away from some press buzzards like Will Harangue and from criminal threats as well," Ben said with a smile.

Natalie hugged Ben tight, "You're my favorite nephew, my dear! Your uncle and I are very grateful for that!"

Ben rolled his eyes. Not long ago, Aunt Natalie didn't even want to look him in the eye, but now that he was giving her a luxurious place to live, he became her 'favorite nephew'.

"Well," Ben continued, "This floor will be for Aunt Natalie and Uncle Frank, the one above will be for my parents, there is another for Grandpa Max and Xylene when they come back from their vacation/honeymoon in space, and, finally, another one for me, Gwen and Dawn."

Natalie was a little surprised. "Why doesn't Gwen live here with me, and Dawn stays a little bit with us and a little bit with you? Leave the other floor for when you get married and your wife moves in there with you," she suggested.

Ben and Gwen looked at each other.

 _"Shall we tell?"_  Ben asked without words, only using his eyes.

 _"I guess there's no better time than now,"_  Gwen silently replied with a glance.

"Aunt Natalie, Uncle Frank, Dad, Mom..." Ben held Gwen by the waist and pulled her close. "Gwen and I are together. That part of Harangue's story wasn't a lie."

Ben's mother, Sandra, hugged Gwen tight and said with sincerity, "I'm very happy for both of you. I know there's no better person for my son than you, my dear. "

Carl and Frank were a bit uncomfortable, but they accepted the situation. "I'm not going to lie," Carl said, "Seeing my son with my niece is not exactly what I would want, but I kind of figured out it was going to happen someday with you two being so close as you are. Although I'm not a fan of the idea, I want you two to be happy above all else."

But Natalie reacted very badly. She was shocked. "THIS IS ABSURD! I don't know how you seduced my daughter, Ben, but incest is disgusting! I know you don't mind it because you can count yourself lucky, Ben, since anyone who isn't blind can immediately see that Gwen is a thousand times more beautiful than that Julie girl you used to date, but my daughter doesn't deserve this! Her criminal ex-boyfriend was bad enough. No more bad choices in her life! I will not allow it!"

Gwen was furious and confronted her mother. "It's my choice, mother! I'm over 18 and you have no right to tell me what to do! This tower belongs to Ben, and I'm staying with him. If you don't accept our relationship, fine, you are welcome to leave. Don't let the door hit you in the butt on your way out."

Natalie shrunk in embarrassment and forced a smile. "Forgive me, kids. I wasn't thinking right. I love you both very much, and I respect your decision. I promise to be a more tolerant person from now on."

* * *

Already in their new accommodations, Dawn was playing with little magical bubbles that she herself had created while Ben and Gwen watched her and talked.

"Do you have a guess of who exposed us?" Gwen leaned her head on Ben's shoulder.

"I don't know. I'd say Kevin, but his reputation was ruined by that report as well. And Kevin wasn't the only person who is pissed off at me and who also knows my secret identity, unfortunately..." Ben sighed.

* * *

_**Before.** _

_"I'm sorry, Julie," Ben said._

_Julie Yamamoto took a deep breath and looked at Ben with a neutral expression on her face that showed no feelings whatsoever. "I always knew you and your cousin were close, closer than most cousins normally are, but I trusted you and I would never have imagined that you were going to leave me for her… And I thought Gwen was my friend. I would never expect this betrayal from her either."_

_"Who said anything about Gwen?" Ben felt his heart clenching._

_"Does it need to be said? It's obvious." Julie folded her arms." Will you try to deny it?"_

_Ben sighed heavily and whispered, "I love her."_

_"We dated for a long time, and you never said these words to me. You never loved me, did you? It was always her. And you always knew that," Julie said, trying to hide a tear falling from her eye._

_"I ... I ... I'm sorry!" Ben didn't know what else to say._

_Julie slapped him very hard across the face. "I never want to see you or Gwen ever again."_

* * *

"I was an asshole," Ben said feeling guilty. "Staying with Julie was an effort to try to forget you, Gwen. She deserved better than that. "

"I have my fair share of guilt too, Ben," Gwen said as she caressed his face. "You didn't even want to date her at first. I literally pushed you to ask her out and every time something happened between you two, Kevin and I pushed you to make up with her. We didn't even try to ask if you were actually happy in that relationship." Gwen remained silent for a few moments. "But do you really think it was Julie?"

"No, I don't. But I've never been very good at hiding my identity. There's a long list of people who knew it, so I don't want to falsely accuse anyone. I kind of always knew that it was only a matter of time before this would happen. In fact, it was supposed to happen a couple of years ago."

"Seriously? How so? "Gwen asked a little confused.

"A fan of my aliens, a boy named Jimmy Jones, found out my secret identity. He was going to reveal it to the press, but I foresaw that in one of Eye-Guy's visions. I looked for Jimmy and convinced him not to say anything."

"Ok. Let's just focus on what we're going to do from now on," Gwen said, "Our parents are going to need Plumbers' escort to leave the Tower. On the other hand, I can take care of myself, and-"

"I was actually hoping to convince you to finish college with an online degree," Ben said.

"No way!" Gwen said, "Don't worry about me, Ben. If someone tries to go after me, they'll definitely regret it," she kissed him on the cheek.

Dawn was still playing. She was now lying on a mat on the floor and creating drawings of animals with magic in the air. It was like observing clouds in the sky taking different shapes, with the difference that Dawn was the one controlling the shape of the 'clouds' there.

"At this point, I'm sure Hex already knows Dawn is with us," Ben said, "I have to find him before he tries anything."

"We will," Gwen said, "You're not alone in this, Ben."

"I know, but this is my fault," Ben lamented.

"It's not. It's Harangue's fault, and we're definitely going to sue him. And don't listen to my mother. I'm the first to admit that she can be ... difficult ... sometimes. "

"I know. Thank goodness you inherited her good looks and intelligence, but not her personality," Ben laughed. But then he sighed in sadness, "Still, our lives turned upside down."

"Not everything about this is bad. I mean, you got rich now, didn't you?" Gwen giggled.

"Now you're speaking just like your mother," Ben giggled too.

"Doofus." Gwen's face turned into a frown. "You know I'd be happy to live anywhere, no matter how humble, as long as we are together. That's what really matters to me."

Ben smiled and passionately kissed her. "I know."

* * *

**Late at night, in an old mansion…**

Kevin - wearing a mask - arrived dragging a man bound by ropes. Hex was waiting for him.

"You did a good job exposing my enemies. Now I know exactly where they are, and where my daughter is," Hex said in his usual cold tone.

Kevin always knew where Ben, Gwen, and Dawn were, of course, but Ben's public exposure was an integral part of the plan to make sure that Kevin's involvement would not be discovered. Before, only Kevin and a dozen other people knew where Ben, Gwen and Dawn lived, but now the Tower was no secret. Everyone knew where the young celebrity hero lived with his family.

"Is this the man we are going to use for our plan?" Hex asked, pointing to the man Kevin was dragging.

"Yes, my sources have confirmed that this is one of the Plumbers who is working at Ben's Tower." By sources, Kevin was referring to Argit. "If your potion works, the plan will work."

Hex made a small cut in his hand and let a drop of blood fall into a glass filled with a magic potion. Kevin opened the mouth of the unconscious man and forced him to swallow the liquid.

When the man woke up, his eyes shone as he looked at Hex.

"Do you love me?" Hex asked him.

"Yes, I do!" The man replied, much to Kevin's astonishment.

"You know that in the Tower where you work, there is a device that blocks magic from the outside, so that people like me can't enter. But I need to get in there and get my daughter. Can you turn this device off for me? "

"Of course! I would do anything for you!" The man said.

Hex handed a bottle of potion to Kevin. "It's yours to use as you wish. It is very rare and almost impossible to brew, but what you have in hand is enough to make anyone completely fall in love with you. Just add a drop of your blood and make the person drink it. I'm going to get my daughter back, and you get your Lucky Girl."

Kevin smirked and thanked him.


	8. Chapter 8

Gwen and little Dawn arrived at the restaurant and a waiter led them to the table already reserved by Ben. That was one of the fanciest restaurants in Paris.

"Where's daddy?" Dawn spoke with a sad expression.

"Don't worry, sweetheart. I know you miss him, and so do I. He just sent me a message. He will be here soon," Gwen said with a smile. They hadn't seen Ben in a week. He had been attending meetings with investors in Europe and Asia about some of Grey Matter's inventions. His last appointment was in France, and Ben asked Gwen to fly there to meet him in the restaurant after the reunion was over. And after dinner, they would fly back home together.

A few minutes later, Ben arrived. Gwen obviously didn't expect him to look any different - he had been gone for just a week - but he was. Ben now had a beard. Gwen was astonished not only by how fast it grew, but also by the fact that Ben could barely grow a beard before.

"Ta-dah!" Ben opened his arms. "Did you like my new look? It is thanks to one of Grey Matter's new inventions. I used it to make my beard grow, but the goal is to be a revolutionary product against unwanted baldness. It's proving to be quite successful."

Gwen gave him a tight hug. "Ben!" She also wanted to kiss him but realized that some people were watching them. Although Gwen knew that the French were far more tolerant about cousin relationships than the USA, she and Ben were famous now. Fearful that anyone could take a picture that would turn into a cover of a tabloid back at home, the redhead just kissed Ben on the cheek and whispered in a flirtatious tone, "You'll get more when we get back home at the Tower."

"I can't wait, Dweeb. I'm going to try out my new beard. I hear women like tickles in the right places, and beards are perfect for that." He winked at her.

Gwen laughed and blushed heavily in embarrassment. "Doofus."

"Dweeb," Ben snapped back, sticking out his tongue at her.

Then Ben took Dawn in his arms and kissed her forehead, "I missed my baby girl so much."

"Daddy!" The girl replied with a smile from ear to ear. But then she frowned as she ran her hands over his face, "ugly beard."

"Hey, it's not ugly!" Ben sat on the chair, still holding Dawn in his arms, "It makes me look older and more experienced, but that's the intention. I'm an 18-year-old guy signing contracts and selling things to rich older guys. I want to look like someone very mature, and the beard helps," he said, beginning to smooth his beard when he suddenly stopped in shock. "There's something wrong. I can't feel my beard anymore."

"Your face is clean-shaved now, Ben," Gwen noted in amazement.

"How?" Ben replied, still shocked.

Dawn started to laugh. "Daddy cute now!"

"Dawn!" Ben said in a scolding tone. "You took away my beard with magic. You little brat? Ok, you got your laughs, now you can give the beard back to me."

"Can't," the little girl said, laughing and tilting her head.

"I think you can, you just don't want to," Ben sighed. "I spend a week away, and she gets spoiled like that. Unbelievable."

"She's always been like that, Ben. The problem is not the week she spent away from you. The problem is the long months she spent with you." Gwen giggled. "But don't worry, you're handsome, beard or not…" They both blushed after that comment.

The waiter came to take their orders. Ben had no idea what to order from the menu, and when Gwen noticed that, she made his request for him.

"Thanks, cuz," Ben said after the waiter left.

"Don't thank me yet. You don't know what I ordered," she said with a Cheshire cat grin.

"What?!"

Gwen laughed. "Relax, I'm just kidding. I ordered something I know you will like, ok? Don't worry, Doofus. But why did you want to come here? I thought you didn't like these fancy restaurants."

"I don't. I wanted to come here because of Aunt Natalie." Ben shrugged.

Gwen looked at him in amazement. "When Mom knew I was coming, she called you, and asked for you to take her and Dad with us, but you said you wanted this moment just for us. If it was because of my mother, why didn't you want her to be here? Don't say it's because of the money, Mr. Richie Rich."

"Your mother wanted to come, exactly. I said 'no' to her. I felt so good. It was liberating," Ben smiled, spread his arms and took a deep breath.

Gwen rolled her eyes, "Unbelievable."

"You know your mother hates me - and now that I have money, she pretends to like me while still hating me - don't blame me for making fun of her every once in a while," Ben smirked.

Shortly afterwards the plates arrived. Ben and Gwen ate, and fed Dawn. At first, the baby girl didn't want to try that 'different food.' She wanted to eat what she was already used to at home. But Gwen used an airplane-shaped spoon for the flying spoon trick and Dawn finally accepted eating it. Ben and Gwen talked a lot too, about Ben's inventions, about Gwen's college and about the future lawsuit against Will Harangue for attacking them on television.

After they had finished dinner, Ben said, "Thank you, Gwen."

"What for?" She asked a bit puzzled.

"For ..." Ben went silent for a moment and then lowered his head. He breathed heavily and said, "I'm a misfit. I could blame this on the fact that I found an alien watch at 10 years old, but I think I've always been like this. And you're the only girl who made me better for accepting me instead of trying to turn me into something I'm not. "

"Ben, you ..." Gwen was speechless by those deep words.

"With any other girl, she would like me for being a badass alien hero, or she would try to make me fit in and be normal. But not you. You see more than the 'Hero Ben' I strive to be and the 'Normal Ben' that I pretend to be sometimes. You see the real Ben and you pull me back in when I'm losing myself."

Gwen put her hand over his on the table and smiled, with tears in her eyes, "Ben, you did a lot for me too. You taught me to have fun, that I didn't have to follow the plans others had made for me. You're the only one who was there to help when I decided to raise Dawn."

"I'm glad you feel that way," Ben let out a silly laugh, "Because ..." he lowered his head, took a small box from his pocket, put it on the table, and then looked at Gwen. He broke in a cold sweat and there was panic written all over his face, "I-I c-can't d-do this."

Gwen opened the box and gasped, putting her hands over her mouth. She was startled to see a ring inside it, "Ben... are you asking me..."

"Yes," he said in an almost inaudible whisper, "Will you marry me?"

Gwen stood up from the chair, threw herself at Ben and gave him a passionate kiss, not caring in the slightest whether anyone would see that or not.

When they broke the kiss and Gwen broke from the 'trance' of the moment, she was surprised to hear applauses of the people in the restaurant. Either the French were very, very tolerant, or she and Ben were not as famous as she thought they were, and they were mistaken for a common couple by most people.

* * *

**Kevin's house.**

Sitting on the couch, Kevin was watching television. It was time for Will Harangue's news.

"Well, I was accused of spreading fake news about Ben Tennyson, but today one of the things I said about that alien threat was confirmed. We have footage, available on the internet, of Ben Tennyson kissing his cousin Gwen in Paris," the screen showed a video recorded from a cell phone of Gwen and Ben passionately kissing in a public restaurant. Kevin's jaw dropped.

"According to reports from witnesses, he even asked his cousin's hand in marriage, in an act that is an insult to morality. Unfortunately, greedy entrepreneurs who are more interested in money than ethics are still associating with Tennyson, and e-"

Kevin violently kicked the television. It fell to the floor and broke. Kevin began to sweat and ran his hands through his hair in despair.

 **"It's time to act, now."** He heard the voice of his other personality, Kevin 11, echoing in his mind.

Kevin sighed. He didn't want to hear his evil side, and he didn't want to do that, but he knew that if he did nothing, he would lose Gwen. He had to move forward with the plan.

* * *

Ben and Gwen were back home, in a very calm patrol in the area to which they were assigned that day. Ben was literally getting a kitten out of a tree when the communicator beeped.

"Ben, Gwen ..." a Plumber said, "Dawn ... She was taken by Hex ... I'm sorry ..."

* * *

The cameras showed everything. A portal was opened, Hex appeared, grabbed Dawn - who wouldn't stop crying - escaped, and the portal closed. Of course, the Tower had mystical protections to make sure this kind of thing wouldn't happen. But they had been turned off by a Plumber.

Ben and Gwen stopped in front of an improvised cell in Ben's Tower where the man responsible for the security breach was being detained.

"I don't know what got into him..." a Plumber named Elliot said, "He was my friend and a good person... Now the only thing he says is that he loves Hex more than anything. He is not in his normal state."

"He's probably innocent," Gwen said, "Hex has some kind of extremely powerful love spell. Margie, Dawn's mother, was a victim of it as well."

"Can you fix him?" Elliot asked.

"I can try, but Dawn's magic was what cured Margie before. Without her, I ..." Gwen began to cry. "My baby girl..."

Ben put his hand on her shoulders in a gesture of comfort. "Ledgerdomain. Hex has to be there. Let's go. We'll get Dawn back. We'll kick that cretin sorcerer's butt and fix everything."

* * *

Ben - as Grey Matter - tried to read and understand some magic books, but Gray Matter was definitely better with technology than magic; while Gwen spent hours levitating in a lotus position inside a magic circle surrounded by books, trying every spell. Both wanted to find a way to open a portal to Ledgerdomain, but to no avail. Ben suspected that Hex - perhaps even using Dawn's powers in some way - had put The Realm of Magic in lockdown.

At one point, Gwen simply collapsed and fell.

"Gwen!" Ben turned back to human form, took her in his arms and laid her on the bed. She was unconscious, but she had a steady pulse.

A few minutes later, the Plumbers' doctor examined her, "She's fine, she just fainted from exhaustion. She must sleep and eat. And you too. I know you want your kid back, but neither of you will be able to do anything for her in that state. Rest, please," the doctor said.

* * *

Gwen had trouble sleeping. She was crying desperately, thinking of what could happen to Dawn in the hands of Hex. Ben hugged his cousin to comfort her, at the same time trying to hold back his own tears. Lying on the bed and staring at the ceiling, the cousins wondered about Dawn's fate, both blaming themselves for what had happened.

"Ben ... What if Hex drains Dawn's magic and kills her? And if he doesn't, he'll raise her the same way he raised Charmcaster... The next time we see our Dawn, years from now, Hex will have shaped her into a criminal... " Gwen sobbed softly.

Ben wiped the tears from her face. "We'll find her, Gwen. We'll find a way. It's what we always do." Ben himself was desperate inside but tried to appear confident to comfort his cousin.

"I failed, Ben. Margie was my friend, and now she's dead. Her daughter, whom she entrusted to me ... I lost her. "

"No, Gwen ... you did the best you could. You sacrificed a normal student life to take care of Dawn, standing up to your own family for it... I failed. This is my fault ... I could have avoided it," he said in a guilty voice.

"What are you talking about?" Gwen asked confused.

"Eye-Guy... The visions of the futures... I could have seen it ... But I stopped trying to see the future, because I'm a coward..." Ben tried to hold back his tears, "In every future that we were together, there was so much pain, so much death... I was so happy with you, happier than I've ever been before, and I just wanted to stop looking at the bad things, I wanted to stop the nightmares ... So I stopped using Eye-Guy. If I hadn't stopped, we would know this would happen. Damn, we could even have prevented our identities from being leaked to the press. Everything that happened, it's my fault for wanting to avoid my accountability."

"It's not your fault. You always did the best you could, for me, for Dawn and for the world. You shouldn't have to torture yourself with visions-" Gwen began to say.

"Right now, I could try using Eye-Guy to see something from the future that might help us, but I'm terrified of what I might end up seeing." Ben did not want to say it out loud, but he was afraid that if he saw the future now and Dawn was dead or destined to become a second Charmcaster under the tutelage of Hex, he knew it would break him, "Don't misplace the guilt. This is not your fault, it's mine. I'm so sorry, Gwen. "

Gwen hugged him tightly, "You ... It's not your fault ... We ... It's not our fault. It's not our fault. "

They remained cuddled up, comforting each other and letting the tears roll in silence for a few minutes until Ben finally said, "Do you remember the story of Benjamin and Flopsy, from Peter Rabbit?"

Gwen laughed softly through her tears, "I do remember. Why?"

"Their baby bunnies were taken from them, but they found them, and brought them home safe and sound." Ben placed a comforting hand on Gwen's back and smiled, "We'll find our baby bunny too, and we will bring her home."

"We will. Together," Gwen said, laying her head on Ben's chest.

Deep down, neither of them was sure about that, but they had hope and they had each other. That would have to be enough.

* * *

**Days later, Kevin's house.**

"Three days since the girl was taken," Kevin said in front of the mirror, cell phone in hand, "I think it's time for the big strong hero to appear in the story and solve all the problems," he grinned.

 **"Hero?"**  The reflection of his insane side, Kevin 11, laughed,  **"Last time I checked, heroes don't help evil sorcerers kidnap toddlers."**

"It was a necessary, and temporary, evil for a greater good!" Kevin shouted back angrily. "Benjamin Tennyson is a monster! I was his best friend and he betrayed me! Julie was his girlfriend and he cheated on her! And with his sociopathic charm, he dragged his own cousin into the mud with him! I have to show Gwen the failure that he is, as a boyfriend, hero and father. When I save Dawn from Hex, Gwen will see how I am a better man than Tennyson ever will be."

 **"Gwen will see, heh?"**  Kevin 11 crossed his arms and smiled wickedly,  **"So why do you still have the love potion that Hex gave you? Just as a precaution in case she doesn't see things that way and still prefers to be with her cousin after all?"**

"I can't afford to risk Gwen's life!" Kevin yelled, "What he did to me and Julie, he will do to Gwen one day. I have to save Gwen from that bastard, by any means necessary!"

Kevin 11 rolled his eyes,  **"It would be easier if you just admit the truth. We are not the knight in shining armor who wants to save the princess from the dragon. We are the dragon who wants to eat the princess. Just figure out a way to make Gwen take the potion and leave the snotnose brat with Hex. We don't want an idiot child in our lives."**

"No," Kevin said firmly, "I'm going to save everybody. I am a good person. GO AWAY!"

The reflection of Kevin 11 finally disappeared.

Kevin dialed Gwen's number on the phone and left a message in the mailbox, "Gwen ... I think I found a pretty good clue about Hex. I want to help find Dawn. Please come here and talk to me."

**To be continued...**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Once again, I'm sorry about another long delay. But good news, I'm on vacation now! That means I'll write more! I hope to finish After the Dawn soon.
> 
> * There is a scene in this chapter out of order. The scene where Kevin learns about Ben's and Gwen's engagement is set right before the last scene of the previous chapter, where Kevin kidnaps a Plumber for Hex. Kidnapping that plumber was Kevin moving forward with the plan.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The picture with Kenny and Devlin... You will understand as you read the chapter.

"Gwen, I'm glad you came." Kevin's smile broadened as he opened the door for the redhead. Then he remembered that he shouldn't look so happy now, after all, a child had been kidnapped. "I have some good clues about Hex's whereabouts," he said in a more serious tone and closed the door, not without looking outside first to make sure Gwen came alone.

"What's with all this mystery, Kevin?" Gwen folded her arms.

"Well." Kevin scratched his head. "I just didn't want to see the face of Ben or the Plumbers. I mean, some time ago the Plumbers sent Lucy here to try to spy on me, and Ben... too much bad blood between us. That's why I asked you to come alone. "

Gwen nodded, "Anything that might help find Dawn."

Kevin noticed that even worried and probably not sleeping properly, Gwen still looked beautiful like an angel. His heart thudded harder as he knew he was within minutes of taking her back.

"I made you a snack-"

"Sorry, Kevin, I'm in a hurry. We should get straight to the point," Gwen said.

"We're going after Hex. You have to be strong, and I doubt you're eating properly with all this worry about Dawn in your head. Just eat something while I tell you what I found out," Kevin pointed to a sandwich and juice on the table.

The redhead folded her arms. "Kevin, I appreciate the concern, but stop stalling, please."

Kevin stared at her with a look of shock on his face. "I know what this is. You think I put something in the food. After everything we've been through, you don't trust me..." He turned his back to her. "I can't help you like this."

Gwen came closer to Kevin and placed a hand on his shoulder, "Kevin, listen to me, this is not the time to be paranoid or prideful. I'm your friend and I will always be, but the life of a child is at risk and-"

Kevin turned around abruptly and stabbed her with a syringe. "I'm glad I have a B plan, babe. Love is in the air." He grinned somberly.

Gwen blinked a few times, then said in a confused voice, "Kevin, I ... I should be mad at you, but ..." She touched his face affectionately. "I love you too much to be mad at you. I don't know how Ben could talk me into his bs. Please, Kevin, forgive me!"

Kevin kissed her passionately, and she kissed him back with the same intensity.

"Of course, I forgive you, babe," Kevin said, "Just out of curiosity, would you mind if I kill Ben? He's the real monster here, who wants to keep us apart."

"No way. I'll help you tear apart my idiot cousin," Gwen said with an evil grin, but then her expression softened. "But there's someone innocent in this story, Dawn. We have to save her from Hex. "

"Yeah," Kevin said. "I'm a hero. The plan was never to leave her with Hex. Don't worry about it."

"What do you mean, 'the plan'? Did you help Hex kidnap her?" Gwen asked a little surprised.

Kevin broke out in a cold sweat. "Of course not, babe... Err... I just meant that ..."

"Don't worry, Kevin. I understand. You needed Hex's potion to open my eyes to the truth. You made a lot of sacrifices to get us back together again, things you didn't want to do. Ben's the only one to blame for that." She caressed his cheek again.

"Exactly! I never wanted to do business with Hex, but I had no choice. Since we met again when I was 16, absolutely everything I did was out of love for you," Kevin said, "We take Dawn back and then we run away together. You tell your family that the media pressure on you is insufferable, and you want to disappear. In a few months, I'll kill Ben. I'll let him suffer a little before knowing that you ditched him for me, but I really want to kill him myself. "

"Alright, love. How are you going to talk to Hex?"

"Here!" Kevin pulled out of his pocket a black and red stone. "I just have to drip a drop of my blood on this stone to activate it. But first..." Kevin smirked, "I really need to take you to bed, Gwen."

"No. I'm going to have to take you to bed, handsome." Gwen smirked too, and in a swift motion she stabbed Kevin with her own syringe. "Surprise! I brought one too."

Kevin started to feel extremely sleepy. Struggling to keep his eyes open, Kevin saw Gwen turn into a dark purple gelatinous mass and then into a blonde girl. " _Now_  I got you! Psych! Hahahahaha," Lucy Mann said, before Kevin finally fell on the floor.

* * *

**Before.**

A young man walked into a bar.

"Hey, are you old enough to drink, son?" The bartender asked. "Anyway, we're almost closing and-"

"I'm not here to drink, sir." The young man lifted up his sleeve, exposing the Omnitrix.

"You're that alien hero, Ben Tennyson!"

"I heard that this man used to come here." Ben gave the picture of a Plumber to the bartender. "Is it true?"

"Yes, he's a regular customer," The bartender replied, noting from the serious tone of the hero that he was not there for small talk.

"The last time he was here was...?" Ben asked.

"Yesterday. Someone I've never seen before, a bearded guy wearing a cap, sat down with him and paid for several drinks for them. Then he was so drunk that the other guy had to carry him out. What happened? Do you want me to try and identify the guy wearing a cap? "

"No need. I'll try to see him myself," Ben activated the Omnitrix and turned into Clockwork. The gear in his head, something similar to a clock key, began to spin and shine. The environment took on a light green tone as Clockwork 'rewinded' the events until he saw the man he was looking for.

That man was the Plumber who had opened the tower's defenses, so Hex could kidnap Dawn. He had been infected by the potion of love. Of course, a stranger in a bar who carried him out the night before that was a strong suspect for being involved in the crime.

Clockwork saw the stranger approaching the Plumber. Wearing a cap, bearded, yes, the suspect was trying to disguise himself. But Clockwork took a close look at the suspect's face and... he wanted to say that what he saw shocked him, but it wouldn't be true.

"Kevin..."

* * *

**Now**

Lucy sent a text message to Ben and Gwen telling them everything and opened the front door. A few minutes later, the Tennyson cousins showed up.

"Thanks for the help, Lucy," Ben said.

"A round of applause for Lenopan biology that leaves me immune to the love potion," Lucy replied.

"You took a big risk, Lucy. You should have just eaten what he offered," Gwen said.

"No way! My acting had to be perfect! A Miss Know-It-All- Err… I mean, a very intelligent girl like you would have suspected something was wrong with the food anyway. If I fell right into Kevin's trap, he would be suspicious that something was wrong," Lucy replied, proud of herself.

"Gwen, you know Kevin will not stop, and this is the only way, right?" Ben asked.

"I thought we could avoid those Kevin 11,000 visions you had, Ben, but now I know we can't," Gwen said deeply saddened. "The truth is Kevin's obsessed, and he'd do anything to get us together, from risking his own life heroically fighting off the Highbreed invasion to helping an evil sorcerer kidnap an innocent baby, my little Dawn..." Gwen sighed, "I'll support your decision, Ben, whatever it is."

"He is kind of a good kisser. Handsome on the outside, but rotten to the core," Lucy shrugged, "If you kill Kevin, can I keep all his valuables?"

Gwen took Lucy out, leaving Ben alone with an unconscious Kevin.

Ben let out a deep sigh, "God, forgive me."

Humungousaur stomping on Kevin's neck would be enough to end it. Ben slammed the Omnitrix, hoping to turn into Humungousaur, but he found himself as Eye-Guy instead, "No, not you," the hero said disappointed.

He was about to change again, but then he thought "One last time... Who knows if Kevin's fate can't change?"

Eye-Guy concentrated and felt a familiar itch in one of his eyes start…

* * *

**After**

A red-haired green-eyed boy around 10 years old arrived in the kitchen, followed by a slightly older brown-skinned boy with light brown eyes and long black hair tied up in a ponytail.

"Good morning, Dad, Mom. What are we having for breakfast?" The red-haired boy asked.

A tall, strong bearded man - Ben 10,000 - and a gorgeous redhead - Gwendolyn - stared at the boys with death glares and arms folded.

"Kenneth Maxwell Tennyson and Devlin Green-Levin, what were you guys doing last night?" Ben 10,000 asked angrily.

"Dad, I don't know what you're talking about. Devlin and I stayed here at the Tower all night, playing video games."

"Oh yeah, so explain what this is," Gwendolyn said sarcastically. She pressed a button on the tablet, and a 3D image was projected. It was possible to see a XLR8 and a hybrid creature, an amalgam of several aliens, facing a gang of criminals, "You were filmed yesterday, and it already went viral on the internet!"

"Yippie, cool!" The two boys were thrilled by the news, which intensified the anger in the eyes of Ben 10,000 and Gwendolyn.

"I mean…" The brown-skinned boy - Devlin - broke out in a cold sweat. "We don't know the guys from the video. It seems to be someone who has powers similar to my fath- I mean, to Kevin 11,000, accompanied by some Kineceleran guy."

"We're not idiots!" Ben 10,000 said. "Besides the coincidence of powers with Kevin being too big to ignore, the Kineceleran had the Omnitrix symbol on his chest, and I know it wasn't me. Kenny, Devlin, you're grounded for one month. "

"That's not fair!" The red-haired boy - Kenny – complained. "At our age, you and Mom faced criminals all the time! What's the difference?"

"Do you know how many times we almost died? Do you know how many times I almost lost your mother? It's not because we were irresponsible that you also have to be," Ben 10,000 replied.

"You were the irresponsible one, Ben. I was just tagging along to stop you from being killed," Gwendolyn commented.

"Love, now isn't the time for this." Ben 10,000 gave his wife a half-hearted smile as he scratched his head. "Going back to the subject at hand... Kenny, I gave you an Omnitrix to defend yourself, not to go looking for trouble. And you too, Devlin, for now we're training you just to defend yourselves. In a few years, you two will have the opportunity to be heroes, but not now. "

The two boys lowered their heads.

"Hey!" Gwendolyn put her hands on their shoulders. "We just want to keep you safe because we love the two of you too much."

"Dad, Mom, you don't have to worry," Kenny said. "Devlin protects me, and I protect him! We are the best hero duo in the world!"

* * *

**Now**

Ben turned back to normal and called Gwen and Lucy. "Let's call the Plumbers and turn Kevin over to them."

"I thought you were going to..." Gwen whispered.

"I was, but I changed my mind. I think Kevin still has something good to leave to the world," Ben replied smiling.

* * *

Lucy morphed herself into Kevin, and Gwen dripped a drop of blood on the red and black stone.

"Hex, can you hear me?" 'Kevin' asked.

"I'm here, Kevin. What do you want?" Hex said dryly. He clearly wanted to get right to the point.

"I want to sell you the Charms of Bezel. Gwen won't need them anymore."

"Great. Do you have them there? "

"Of course," 'Kevin' lied, "Let's meet. Any place you want. "

"Put this stone on the ground," Hex asked.

Lucy did as Hex asked, and a small portal began to open. Hidden, Ben, Gwen and a team of Plumbers stood by, ready to give the villain a 'warm welcome'.

But the portal did not open more than a few inches. A few gold bars went through it.

"That's half the payment," Hex's voice was heard, "Throw the Charms through the portal, and I'll send the other half.

"Wait, we have to meet in person," 'Kevin' argued.

"No, we do not. If you have the Charms, throw them over. If you don't have them, we have nothing to talk about."

"I'm going to turn into a small alien and enter through the portal," Ben whispered.

"It's too dangerous to go in there alone, Ben, even for you," one of the Plumbers said.

"I have no choice!" Ben ran and turned into Nanomech, but the moment he was about to jump on the portal, it vanished.

"Crap!" Nanomech yelled. "We missed our only chance!"

Gwen fell to her knees and tears rolled from her eyes, "No ... Dawn ..."

* * *

**Hours later.**

**Ledgerdomain. In a stone castle, floating in the vast space of mana ...**

Dawn wouldn't stop crying.

Hex leaned close to her and said, "Ben and Gwen spoiled you too much, child. I'm going to teach you how to be a real fighter, but not today. Today, I have finally perfected the spell to absorb magic, and I will use your powers to crush my enemies and reign undisputed here in Ledgerdomain and, very soon, on Earth as well. "

Hex placed a finger on Dawn's forehead and began reciting an ancient spell. Dawn's crying only increased, and red threads of magic energy began to flow from Dawn to Hex.

"Wonderful, I can feel all the power flowing to me! Stop resisting, child, I am your father! "

"YOU… NOT... DADDY!" Dawn shouted, "MY ... DAD … IS... BEN!"

Hex was thrown against the wall of the castle, and a portal appeared in the middle of the room.

* * *

**Ben's Tower.**

"We failed as parents." Gwen's eyes welled up with tears as her blurry vision fell on the empty high chair, Dawn's chair.

"Don't say that, Gwen," Ben tried to assure her. He grabbed Gwen a handkerchief. They sat down on the couch. The place seemed quiet, too quiet and somehow much colder than usual. She missed the laughter that used to fill this home. She even missed the Lottie Dottie Chicken show Dawn used to watch. Gwen grabbed a blanket that happened to be sitting on the couch and wrapped it around her shoulders. This little blanket provided some sense of comfort as it belonged to Dawn, but the thought of what was missing only made her cry more. Gwen needed her baby girl more than anything else.

Ben wanted to say something to comfort her, but he knew that the only one who could do that right now was that sweet little girl that was missing from their lives. Ben wanted to say that he knew for certain that they would get her back, but it would be a lie. Dawn was missing from the vision Eye-Guy saw earlier - it could mean nothing, she could simply not be at that place in that particular moment, but it could also mean the worse happened, and Ben didn't want to even think about it. Ben wrapped his arm around Gwen. She leaned into him and cried.

"We only failed as parents if we have given up. I have no intention of doing that," Ben told her barely able to contain his own tears.

They continued to sit in silence until they heard a familiar voice echoing in their heads: Dawn's voice, "My ... Dad ... is ... Ben!"

"Am I going crazy or did you hear that too, Gwen?" Ben asked.

"Yes, I heard!" Gwen confirmed, "Dawn, my dear, where are you?" The redhead yelled.

Suddenly, a portal opened in the middle of the living room. Ben and Gwen didn't think twice before jumping through it.

* * *

The young heroes found themselves inside a stone castle floating in a sea of mana. They were in Ledgerdomain. At one end of the room, they saw Hex on the floor starting to rise up and at the other end was little Dawn. She was sweating and seemed to be in pain.

Ben and Gwen ran toward the baby, and Gwen took Dawn in her arms.

"Mommy!" Dawn put her little arms around Gwen's neck.

"Everything is going to be all right, my dear," Gwen ran toward the portal so they could leave. She wanted to crush Hex but returning Dawn to safety was the priority.

But before they could leave, Hex snapped his fingers and the portal closed. "You two will not take my daughter away from me," the villain said with anger.

" _You_  will not take  _our_  daughter away from us ever again," Ben said furious, with his hand on the Omnitrix. "I promise."

Hex let out a sinister laugh, and the pupils of his eyes flashed a dark red tone. "On Earth, Dawn already was incredibly powerful. But here, in the realm of magic, her powers are limitless ... And now mine are also, because I absorbed her powers ... You two are already dead. You just haven't realized it yet."

**TO BE CONTINUED**


	10. Chapter 10

Stone creatures emerged from all sides, leaving Ben, Gwen, and Dawn surrounded.

Ben let out a laugh. "I have to admit, you had me worried for a minute, Hex, but fortunately, as the old saying goes, you can't teach an old dog new tricks. I have been crushing these stone things since I was 10.  **Humungousaur**!" Ben slammed the watch and turned into the alien humanoid dinosaur.

"Patience," Hex whispered with a grim smile.

Humungousaur grew in size and began to decimate Hex's stone creatures. "Gwen, try to hit Hex. I've got your back."

Gwen, with little Dawn in her arms, began firing blasts of mana against Hex. The dark wizard was floating in the air, protected by a red bubble of mystical energy. Gwen's blasts didn't even scratch Hex's protective bubble.

"Crap!" The redhead yelled, very frustrated.

Meanwhile, Humungosaur continued to destroy the stone creatures, punching them, kicking them and crushing them against the ground and against the walls. But the creatures kept coming. With a quick glance, Humungosaur noticed a stone creature he had just destroyed reforming into a new one, "They are regenerating! Gwen, we have to focus on Hex, no use destroying the creatures."

"I can't, Ben! His protective magic is too strong," Gwen replied.

Hex made a gesture with his hands for his creatures to stop attacking for a moment, "You can't defeat me. You will tire yourselves to exhaustion and then die. Give me back my daughter, and you will die a mercifully quick death."

"Never!" Gwen held Dawn even tighter in her arms.

Humungousaur hit the Omnitrix symbol on his chest and turned into  **Atomix**. "My lady, take our daughter away from here," he spoke in the alien's formal manner.

Gwen, knowing what Ben was planning, teleported herself farther away.

Hex just laughed, "Go ahead, child."

"HAA-MEE-NA HAA-MEE-NA HAA-MEE-NA HA! Nuclear Winner!"

Atomix' mighty nuclear explosion devastated the whole castle where they stood, and turned all the stone creatures to dust. But Hex remained without a scratch, protected by his magic shield.

"Not bad," Hex said, "But as I said, useless. My powers are now infinite."

"I can't believe it." Atomix turned back into Ben and fell on his knees, frustrated and completely exhausted.

Hex stretched his hand toward the young hero, who was engulfed by a bright red light and began to utter loud cries of pain.

"Gwendolyn," Hex said, letting his words and Ben's cries flow through the air and reach all the corners of Ledgerdomain, "He doesn't have to suffer. Give me my daughter and we'll get this over with quickly. No use hiding and delaying the inevitable. I'll find you anyway."

"AAAAARGH Gwen AAAAAAARGH No! AAAAAARGH Don't come! AAAAAARGH." Ben tried to warn his cousin to stay away amid screams of pain.

"Do you know the best part? I'm using magic to torture you, but I'm not physically hurting you," Hex said, taking sadistic pleasure in that, "I can keep you like this for hours."

A few minutes later, Gwen appeared carrying Dawn in her arms.

"Excellent, you made the right decision." Hex stopped torturing Ben.

"No, Gwen, don't do this!" Ben pleaded, still too weak to do anything else.

"I know you want Dawn's powers, Hex," Gwen said calmly, "So take them."

Gwen stretched her hand toward Hex and fired a huge and continuous blast of mana that immediately shattered the dark wizard's shield and made him scream in pain and agony. Seconds later, Hex disappeared.

"... Is he dead?" Ben asked.

"I wish, but no. He is weak but managed to escape," Gwen complained. Then she ran toward Ben, "How are you?"

"Much better now." He gave Gwen a quick peck on the lips and planted a kiss on Dawn's forehead. "But how did you beat him?"

"It was Dawn." Gwen patted the little girl's head.

"I borrowed Mommy my powes!" Dawn said giggling.

"Did you know the spell Hex used to take her powers and did the same?" Ben asked.

"No, I have no idea what kind of black magic he used. I just asked Dawn to give me her powers and it worked. Can you believe that? It was all her," Gwen replied, proud of the little girl. "Now I can create a portal for us to go home."

* * *

**Ben's Tower**

Less than an hour after arriving, Ben and Gwen were already getting ready to leave again.

"Wait," said Rook Blonko, a cat-like alien and Ben's Plumber partner, "What are you two going to do?"

"We'll go back to Ledgerdomain, while Hex is still weak and the effects of the powers Gwen got from Dawn haven't yet worn off," Ben replied, "Rook, I trust you and the other Plumbers here to keep an eye on our daughter for us."

"But you are exhausted. You just came back," Rook tried to say.

"It doesn't matter. We have to put an end to this once and for all. It's the only way we can have any peace in our lives again," Ben said, and Gwen agreed.

But before Ben and Gwen left, a Plumber ran to them with a report to give. Hex had been found dead, his body left exposed publicly in a very crowded street. Nobody had any idea who was responsible for it.

* * *

A couple of days later, Ben, Gwen and Dawn were visited by Joel, Camille, Lucy and Jack. Joel was married to Camille, a Lenopan. Lucy was Camille's younger cousin, but she was more like a daughter to them, and had lived with the couple since she was ten. And Jack was a handsome three-year-old dark-skinned little boy, Joel and Camille's adopted son. Humans and Lenopans couldn't have biological children together, but that was no obstacle for Joel and Camille to build a beautiful family.

Jack and Dawn were playing together. Jack had brought his Star Wars action figures, including some Stormtroopers and a Darth Vader.

"Jack, I tell you how Mommy and Daddy beat bad wizad!" The little girl said excitedly.

Dawn picked up a stuffed dinosaur and knocked down some Stormtroopers. "Daddy 'Mungosau beat stone monsters!" Then she picked up a redhead Barbie, placed a baby doll in her arms, and had Barbie hit Darth Vader. "Mommy and I beat bad wizad!"

Ben and Gwen giggled at Dawn's retelling of the adventure they had in Ledgerdomain.

"Hey, guys, I heard you will be getting married! Congratulations! I'm going to love to mess up your party," Lucy laughed, half joking and half sincere.

"Do that, and I'm going to regret asking you to be the Maid of Honor," Gwen said, also half joking and half sincere.

"What?" Lucy's eyes widened in surprise. "I'm going to be the Maid of Honor? Awww, thank you!" She hugged Gwen tight.

"Who's going to be the best man? "

"Rook," Ben replied, "and Dawn and Jack are going to be the Flower Girl and the Ring Bearer. I mean, if you guys agree, Joel and Camille."

"Of course we do!" Joel and Camille said happily.

"The wedding is probably still going to take a while," Gwen said, "I want it to be after the lawsuit is over."

"What lawsuit?" Lucy asked.

"Yeah, what lawsuit? I'm confused too," Ben said.

Gwen smirked, "I want the expenses of our marriage to be all covered with the compensation money that Will Harangue will pay us, and the rest will go to charity. My parents and I have already filed a lawsuit against him, for all the hateful comments and false accusations he has been openly throwing against us on television."

* * *

**Some time later...**

* * *

"And the verdict is ... guilty! The compensation that Mr. William Harangue will have to pay for defamation of character to Mr. Benjamin Kirby Tennyson and Miss Gwendolyn Tennyson is set at $100,000," the judge said as she hit the gavel.

"This is absurd!" Harangue protested, "A coward attack on the freedom of speech in this country!"

"Silence, Mr. Harangue, or you will be escorted out of here in handcuffs!" The judge threatened.

Harangue reluctantly sat down again, huffing and puffing.

* * *

Ben, Gwen and Dawn were taking an 'air tour' through the city.

"Congratulations, Dawn! You're awesome at flying," Gwen praised the girl.

Little Dawn, now five years old, could naturally fly with her magic, but, of course, Ben and Gwen were following her very closely. Gwen was flying on top of a mana construct, while Ben had turned into Big Chill. If Dawn's powers failed for any reason, either one could easily catch her.

"Of course she is! Her handsome dad taught her very well, didn't he, Dawn?" Big Chill said, talking about himself of course.

"You did nothing, Doofus. I was the one who taught her to fly," Gwen protested.

"Cut it out, Dweeb. You know she managed to start flying after my tips!" Big Chill replied.

Dawn giggled and enjoyed all the playful arguing between Ben and Gwen.

Then they noticed a woman floating a little further in the sky. Gwen immediately grabbed Dawn, and Big Chill took a fighting stance.

"Who are you?" Big Chill asked.

The woman was fully covered, with a silver cloak and a golden mask. She threw a piece of red and black cloth at Ben and Gwen.

"It's a piece of Hex's cloak..." Big Chill said, "Did you kill him?"

"Yes," the woman replied dryly, "Come with me." She was wearing a necklace with a blue shining crystal. The crystal shined brighter, and a portal opened in the middle of the sky.

"Wait a minute! Why would we go anywhere with you?" Big Chill asked suspiciously, but the woman had already entered the portal.

"Ben..." Gwen said in a worried tone, "The stone in her necklace is a very rare mystical artifact, a time crystal. We better go and see what she is going to do."

Big Chill and Gwen (with Dawn in her arms) entered through the portal too.

"Where are we?" Big Chill asked. They were flying over a deserted street at night. "I think I recognize this place..."

"This is the street where the car crash that took the life of Dawn's mother took place years ago," Gwen replied in a whisper.

"It will happen in two minutes," the mysterious woman said, still hovering in the air, "You can save her... or not."

Gwen and Big Chill glanced at each other. There was no hesitation to make the decision. They were heroes, they were going to save Margie. But... they did not know what was going to happen.

If Margie survived, Dawn would not have been adopted by Gwen.

That would change  _everything_.

When Big Chill noticed a truck approaching from one side and a car from the other, he flew toward the car, turned intangible and grabbed the young woman from there before the collision.

"You're safe, Margie," Big Chill said, and shortly afterwards he turned back into Ben.

"Thank you!" She said, looking at her shattered car in flames, "But how do you know my name? Hey, wait a minute, you're Gwen's cousin, right?" Then Margie glanced sideways and noticed the presence of Gwen and Dawn there as well, "Dawn? My baby? You're so big! How?" she asked, even more confused.

"Mommy?" Dawn was a little confused too.

"What's going on?" Margie asked, arching her eyebrows.

"We are from the future." Gwen bit her lip. "Where we came from, you died in that car crash ... Your parents told me you wanted me to keep Dawn, and I... Ben and I…" Gwen took her fiancée's hand in hers. "We're raising her."

Margie noticed the rings on their fingers. "You two are together. Don't worry, I will not judge the guy who just saved my life and my best friend. "

Ben and Gwen smiled, still holding hands. "Yes, we are."

"Where is that mysterious woman? I can't see her," Ben said, looking up, "Has she disappeared? Are we going to disappear too? The timeline must be changing now, right? We... these versions of us... will we just cease to exist?"

"I don't know, but if we're going to disappear, we better say goodbye," Gwen said with a sad smile. Then she crouched down and looked at Dawn, "Dawn, I love you so much," the redhead couldn't hold back her tears and began to cry.

"I love you too, Mommy!" Dawn hugged Gwen. "Why are you crying?"

Gwen didn't answer. She just kept hugging Dawn very tight for a long time.

"Come on, Dweeb, I want to hug her too," Ben said, and Gwen finally let Dawn go.

"Daddy, why is Mommy crying?" The little girl asked and was surprised to see Ben tearing up as well.

Ben repeated Gwen's gesture and hugged Dawn very tight for a long minute. "It'll be alright, honey. You're going to grow up with your mom Margie."

"But I like Daddy Ben and Mommy Gwen too. I don't want you to leave!" Then Dawn herself began to cry.

After the hug, Dawn walked to Margie, "Mommy, Ben and Gwen are my mommy and daddy too. You can stay in the Tower with them. It's pretty big! No one has to leave," the little girl said, still in tears.

Meanwhile, Ben and Gwen said their goodbyes to each other.

"I really hope we still find each other somehow," Gwen said, holding Ben's hands, "I know that taking care of Dawn together just woke the feelings we were already harboring deep inside. I've always loved you, Ben, and I always will."

They mashed their lips together passionately, as if that would be the last kiss of their lives - because they really believed it would be.

After the kiss, the two of them pressed their foreheads together, and Ben whispered, "Maybe we still have enough time left for a quickie!" even in the face of imminent 'erasure', both burst out laughing.

"What happened to Hex?" Margie asked, holding Dawn in her arms.

"He's dead," Ben said, "A woman killed him."

"Good," Margie said, "I don't think your future has to change. On the contrary, Hex is dead, you two love each other, and you were the best parents I could ever want for my daughter. Maybe... I could still die tonight."

"What?" Gwen said, "No, we will not let you die."

Margie laughed. "Relax, I didn't mean to actually die. Can't you make it look like I'm dead?"

"Oh, my God," Gwen realized what would happen - or what had happened, "The mysterious woman is you."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Margie said.

"But you will." The mysterious woman reappeared, and removed her golden mask, revealing Margie's face.

"Ok, I think I'm dreaming," Past Margie said.

"Now I have three mommies?" Dawn asked.

Future Margie handed over a letter to her past version, "That's all you need to know." And then she turned to Ben and Gwen. "Let's go back. The time crystal has no unlimited effect. We need to leave soon."

"Hey, wait a minute," Past Margie said, "How am I going to fake my death?"

"I already took care of it. There's a magic construct with our DNA in that car," Future Margie replied.

"Wow, you're really good," Past Margie was impressed.

"We are. Read the letter. It'll tell you how to find the greatest wizard of all times, Bezel. He taught me - he will teach you - everything you need to know," Future Margie said. Then she re-opened the portal, and entered it with Ben, Gwen and Dawn, leaving Past Margie alone there.

* * *

Back in the present, Ben, Gwen, Dawn and Margie landed on a mana construct. They were still floating high above in the air, far away from the eyes of the people walking down.

"What just happened?" Ben asked.

"You've been alive all this time, Margie. Why didn't you tell us anything?" Gwen asked, "To make sure absolutely nothing would change?"

"Kind of, but not exactly. I did things I shouldn't have done. Before you and Ben moved to that big tower, every once in a while, I went to your old apartment while you were asleep and took Dawn to stay a bit with me in Ledgerdomain while I was still training with Bezel. I mean, she was too small to understand, and I didn't think that was going to make any impact, so... "

"She drew the two of you there," Gwen whispered, remembering one of Dawn's old drawings.

"... But some things I had to make sure wouldn't change at all no matter how much I hated it. I wanted to kill Hex, but he was using magic to hide himself very well. I had to let him kidnap Dawn so you could weaken him enough for me to finally find the bastard and finish him once and for all. I didn't tell myself the exact dates in the letter, because I knew I would be tempted to prevent the whole thing, and things could go very wrong in any other way."

"And how did you find a time crystal?" Gwen asked.

"Long story. Full of dangers," Margie said, holding the mystical stone - now no longer shining, evidence that its power was gone after it had been used.

"We could have helped you," Gwen said, "Did you think you could do it alone because you told yourself to do that in that letter? I think that was pretty irresponsible."

"On the contrary. I wanted to go alone because if anything were to happen to me, Dawn would still have you. I didn't want to risk her losing you too."

"Last question, why did you take us to the past?" Ben asked, "You didn't really need our help to save yourself."

"True," Margie said, "but I - my past version - had to see with my own eyes how much you two and Dawn love each other, so I would know Dawn would be in good hands during my absence."

"Speaking of absence, now that you're here, I'm sure you're going to want to stay with your daughter, aren't you?" Gwen said, with Dawn in her arms, "Ben and I would love to visit you always. We're very attached to Dawn. We feel like we are her parents too."

"You're her parents as much as I am, and I don't want to separate you from her," Margie said with a smile, "I was thinking about what Dawn told me a few years ago and a few minutes ago. That the Tower where you live is very big ... "

"We can kick out Gwen's mother and you get her room," Ben suggested.

"Oh, but I don't want to have to-" Margie started to say.

Gwen elbowed Ben lightly, "Don't worry, Margie, we have plenty of free space in the Tower. Ben was just being a Doofus as usual. We would be very happy to have you there living with us," Gwen said.

"Let's go home," Ben held Dawn in his arms as he smiled.

* * *

**...**

* * *

**In a secret base of the Rooters**

"So, Kevin, are you ready to get these cuffs off?" Servantis asked.

"I don't know ... I've done a lot of bad things ... Maybe I should stay in prison," Kevin said.

"Nonsense. Are you better now? The monster is locked up, and he won't leave," Servantis replied and removed Kevin's power-inhibiting handcuffs.

Then Kevin cracked a grim smile and grabbed Servantis by the throat. "The monster is free. Your mental tricks no longer work on me. I remember everything. I destroyed the pathetic hero personality you built inside my head, Goodie Goodie Kevin is gone forever. I know exactly who I am now."

"Kevin, you need to be strong. You are a hero. I…" Servantis tried to argue.

"SHUT UP!" Kevin slammed Servantis' head against the wall again and again until he was dead.

The guards approached. Kevin just smiled.

A few minutes later Kevin was gone, leaving only a number written on the wall in blood: "11,000."

* * *

**THE END**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * If you re-read chapter 5, you will see the part about Dawn's drawing. Yes, I had the time travel thing planned for a long time, it wasn't a last-minute decision. (I wish I had foreshadowed it more than just with the drawing though). I love time travel stories, and I couldn't resist using the concept. If you still don't understand what happened with Margie, google "Stable Time Loop" on TV Tropes and read about it. A mainstream example of the kind of time travel I implemented here also can be seen in Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban.
> 
> * Thanks a lot, to Aurora Nightstar for beta reading this story and to all of you who read, commented, left kudos and/or bookmarked it. This was meant to be nothing more than a small side project and turned out to be my most successful story so far, and now I keep thinking, "How can I write another story that people will like as much as they liked After the Dawn?" THANK YOU.
> 
> * While I have no plans to write a sequel, I might write a few "post credits" scenes. For example, I've been thinking about a scene in the future, featuring the redhead Kenny Tennyson and Devlin Green Levin (from chapter 9), alongside an older Dawn. So even though this story will be marked as complete, don't be surprised if a new chapter pops up eventually...


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